Preliminary plans for a brand new municipal workplace building were found out with the aid of the town manager remaining night displaying in which the town’s diverse departments might be placed—if the voters agree to shop for a former financial institution building on Route 6A.
The colourful plans, which Town Manager George H. (Bud) Dunham displayed at the selectmen’s meeting, show that all offices with heavy foot traffic—along with the tax collector, the metropolis clerk, the town manager/selectmen, and constructing inspections and permitting—could be on the first floor.
The lower floor of the former Santander Bank constructing would be domestic to the human resources, engineering, making plans and development, and IT departments.
An introduced outside area in the back of the building could offer natural mild for the downstairs offices, in addition to a secondary entry way and exit for employees and site visitors, Mr. Dunham stated.
“The new constructing can accommodate fifty one employees—the quantity we might be shifting from Town Hall, the Town Hall Annex and the metropolis office constructing at 16 Jan Sebastian Drive,” Mr. Dunham stated.
The $3.95-million fee tag for the proposed metropolis headquarters building thought includes $2.1 million to purchase the building, as nicely $1.85 for upgrades—such as a further 38 parking areas, improving the septic gadget, converting the constructing’s layout and fashionable upkeep and renovations, the city supervisor has said.
Preliminary inspections have shown that the electrical and HVAC structures are in suitable form. Selectman Michael J. Miller said a generator that gives power to the complete building is sort of new.
“We are trying enhance purchaser offerings and performance,” Mr. Dunham said. “We are seeking to create one-prevent searching for as many things as we are able to installed one constructing.”
Currently residents must power between numerous city offices to behavior business.
All the plans, but, hinge on whether the voters at the May 6 Town Meeting will approve the purchase of the 13,500-rectangular-foot former bank building located at one hundred Route 6A.
Mr. Dunham reiterated ultimate night time that because the strength plant might be bringing its new gasoline-fired generating unit on-line subsequent year—and the town will get hold of about $2.Five million from the plant in lieu of taxes—the bank building buy would now not have an effect on taxpayers’ assets tax payments.
“A new constructing would value 3, 4 or 5 instances what we’re deciding to buy the Santander Bank constructing,” Mr. Dunham said. “It’s a unique possibility.”
The selectmen closed the assembly to the public ultimate night time to vote on and signal the acquisition and income agreement for the building, contingent upon a ‘yes’ vote at Town Meeting.
The taxpayers this 12 months may also be requested to determine whether the metropolis can promote the Town Hall Annex on Main Street and an office building at 16 Jan Sebastian Drive for approximately $1 million.
Making the taxpayers’ selection more complicated, a residents’ petition turned into filed overdue ultimate month via citizens who would like to peer the town buy the financial institution building and flip it right into a senior center.
The petition, filed at Sandwich Town Hall in overdue February and demonstrated by the town clerk’s office, will become a part of the town warrant, as will the selectmen’s suggestion.
Sunrise Lane resident Robert L. DeRoeck and legal professional Jonathan Fitch, of Grove Street, penned and filed the residents petition.
“The modern council on growing older centers are starkly insufficient and now not capable of providing the needs of Sandwich’s senior citizens,” Mr. DeRoeck wrote these days in a letter to the editor of the Enterprise.
Consolidated metropolis offices aren’t essential, and desires must come earlier than desires, Mr. DeRoeck added.
The selectmen have promised to pay attention their efforts on raising budget for a brand new senior center as quickly as this year’s Town Meeting—and a crucial poll vote on investment water and wastewater cleanup efforts—has surpassed.
But Mr. DeRoeck and Mr. Fitch did not need to attend to any extent further earlier than bringing the issue at once to the electorate thru their citizens petition.
Mr. DeRoeck said the two guys were no longer appearing on behalf of the Council on Aging (COA) or another institution besides themselves and the town’s elder citizens.
The COA’s board of trustees has additionally been advocating for the city to permit the present day COA offices— presently placed within the human services constructing on Quaker Meetinghouse Road—to be relocated into the Santander building.
“If the Council on Aging/Center for Active Living were to transport into [the Santander Bank] building, it’d unfastened up the modern human services building for use as a centrally placed administrative workplace building for the college branch,” Neal O’Brien, chairman of the COA board of directors wrote in a letter to the editor posted remaining month in the Enterprise.
Mr. O’Brien has stated moving the COA into the previous bank building could be a ways less highly-priced than building a brand new senior middle at the general public protection campus—predicted to fee approximately $eight.5 million—and it can be completed greater speedy.
The COA is quick strolling out of space, he wrote, which limits application offerings and has pressured help groups to find new homes. Space might be even greater essential inside the future because the populace a while, Mr. O’Brien has said.
