BRUNSWICK

Brunswick Town Council held a hearing Monday on spending an additional $150,000 for renovations to the former McLellan Building, now Brunswick Town Hall. Finance Director and Interim Town Manager John Eldridge said he expects only about $100,000 of that will be needed.

Meanwhile, Councilor Jane Millett noted that the exact price of renovating the building, which was received by the town in a trade with Bowdoin College, is still unknown.

Millett is disputing a local radio report that the cost of acquiring the McLellan Building  has cost Brunswick taxpayers $1 million, stating the cost has been considerably more than that amount.

“We will be getting an official, full tally of what this building costs in the near future,” said Millett.

Funds for McLellan have come out of Brunswick’s unassigned fund balance.

In May, Eldridge told The Times Record that there will be about $8 million left in the unassigned fund balance after this latest expenditure, and that $1 million has already been appropriated for the McLellan Building from that balance. There was about $10 million in the fund in the beginning of the year, Eldridge said at the time.

Other figures provided by Eldridge show the cost of McLellan exceeding $1 million.

Preliminary expenditures on the building, including more than $56,000 in contingency funding and $81,000 in funds from Bowdoin College, which rents office space at the building, are estimated at more than $1.2 million, according to a budget Eldridge provided as part of the council’s informational packet in advance of the meeting.

About $100,000 will be needed to fix lighting issues and make counters ADA accessible, among other work.

The council may vote on whether to authorize the funds June 16 at the earliest.

No public comment was given during the meeting, however, Chairman Benet Pols responded to a message previously sent by a District 3 constituent, asking the council not to spend any more money on the building.

The council should expend the funds, Pols said, or “otherwise face suits from contractors for not paying our bills.”

With the exception of work needed to repair window trim — costs of which have yet to be determined — this may be the final appropriation for renovations, said Pols.

The town acquired the former McLellan Building in a trade with Bowdoin College for the former Longfellow Elementary School in an agreement reached in 2011.

Town offices moved to McLellan in early April.

Also on Monday, Pols announced that a public forum will be held June 23 in the council chambers to gather input on what citizens want in a new town manager.

The council is working with Maine Municipal Association in its search for a replacement of former manager Gary Brown. The forum will be run by the MMA consultant and will allow citizens to weigh in with their opinions, said Pols.

Pols said he hopes that citizen opinion can be used as a tool in finding the right applicant, now that the town is actively advertising the position and accepting resumes.

BRUNSWICK ACQUIRED the former McLellan Building in a trade with Bowdoin College for the former Longfellow Elementary School in an agreement reached in 2011.

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