WOOLWICH
Equipped now with sharply differing opinions on the merits of building an addition to the Municipal Building, the town’s Building Committee will continue studying the issue on Jan. 16.
Results of a written survey completed Nov. 4 — and those of a public hearing Dec. 5 — differ markedly. More than two-thirds of the 325 residents taking the written survey favored one of the two renovation plans for the crowded facility. Most of those speaking Dec. 5, however, had a different take on the matter.
Dana Lindsey, chairman of the Building Committee, said more than 100 people attended the Dec. 5 public hearing. “The majority of the people were opposed to doing anything, which is typical of public hearings,” Lindsey said.
The committee is not yet leaning toward a recommendation to the selectboard, Lindsey said. The board would like a suggestion sometime in February, so it can be on the warrant for the annual town meeting on May 1, he said.
“We’ll find out more when we have our next meeting,” he said. “We’re not sure if we’ll have a recommendation by then.”
Both expansion plans call for more space in the town office area of the Municipal Building, a new space for public meetings and an additional bay to the adjoining fire station.
Plan A, at a cost of $850,000, would provide for a meeting space adequate for 50 to 75 people.
Plan B would accommodate 200 to 250 people, for $1 million. Such a space would accommodate gatherings such as the annual town meeting, elections and community events.
Both proposals call for expanded space in the fire station.
Marty Eaton was one of the many Birchwood Road residents who attended the Dec. 5 public hearing.
“It’s too much money at the wrong time,” Eaton said. “There is no need to expand the fire station or any particular building in town to have bunks and lounges,” he said.
As for the Town Office end of the building, Eaton said, workers there could make better use of existing space.
“They’re crowded but they have upstairs and they have downstairs, and there’s room for improvement,” he said. “We could go over and help them move things around.”
Lindsey said that if the committee does suggest an expansion, he is not sure if it would recommend a choice of the plans or just one of them.
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