MINUTES
HOLDERNESS TOWN HALL COMMITTEE
MEETING
SEPTEMBER 24, 2003
PRESENT: Selectman Barbara Currier, Paul Montour, Skip Van Sickle, Ward D’Elia, and Paul Weston, Town Administrator
ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN
1. Paul Montour was nominated and elected Chairman of the Town Hall Committee.
MEETING SCHEDULE
2. The Committee decided to meet Tuesdays at 5:30 PM – next meeting to be held October 7 – with the intent to prepare designs and cost estimates during September and October for inclusion in the upcoming town budget.
DOWNSTAIRS HALLWAY REPAIR
3. Eric Bouchard of PREP Contractors has quoted a price of $3,840. to do the downstairs hallway construction. The Committee decided to revise the scope of work - a suspended panel ceiling should be re-installed, install new handicapped accessible doors to restrooms, install three wrap-around ceiling lights, and place lolly columns into the wall and sheetrock. A chair-rail at waist height should be installed on both walls of the hallway. Also, the Committee felt it was important to immediately install a proper banister or railing within the stairwell for safety reasons. Weston will contact Mr. Bouchard for a revised quote.
EXTERIOR PAINTING CONTRACT
4. The Committee discussed the on-going exterior painting of Town Hall. Members were unhappy with the lack of scraping and the finish work on the small roof over the propane tanks. Weston will schedule a meeting with Eric Bouchard.
EXTERIOR IMPROVEMENTS
5. The Committee walked the exterior lot and discussed at length the following:
· Basically we will not disturb Erma’s Garden if possible
· Electrical lines coming in from Route 3, the lines to the rear shed, and the feeds to new granite light posts should all go underground
· Three huge pine trees should be removed (two on the west of the lot, one on the east)
· Peter Furmanick and George Pellettieri (Landscape Architect) will be invited to the next meeting to discuss the overall parking lot layout, seeking to update Mr. Pellettieri’s exterior landscape plan and cost estimate
· The inner driveway (between Town Hall and Erma’s Garden) will be transformed into a fire lane, which should allow it to be plowed and used by emergency vehicles. A handicapped parking spot will be located to the left of the walkway going into the lower town office.
· All of the exterior plantings on the north and east side of Town Hall will be removed, grading to proper elevation will be done, and plantings will be replaced on the north and east sides of the building
· Several granite exterior lighting poles, matching the new Town Hall sign posts, will be installed per the architect’s design
· A new east entrance into the building will be done with granite steps (see D’Elia plan). It was suggested Scott King and Larry Fernald should be contacted for quotes.
· A new flagpole will be installed, south of its present location – concrete pavers may be used to create a small semicircle landscaped lot adjacent to the garden to join the walkway/fire lane installed to the lower entrance
· GMI or another paving company will be asked to provide an updated quote on paving the entire lot.
· It was decided not to make the lower driveway an “in only” entrance
All of the above will entail a revision and update of a Pellettieri cost estimate prepared last year.
INTERIOR IMPROVEMENTS
6. The Committee discussed the following Town Hall interior items:
· The Committee does not support the installation of an elevator/personal lift.
· A new electrical entrance panel should be installed when the exterior lines are put underground. It should be sized to anticipate future central air conditioning, and any future uses of Town Hall
· New handicapped bathrooms (one men’s, one women’s) should be installed downstairs (see D’Elia plan)
· An emergency egress ladder should be installed below the southwest window behind the bookkeeper desk (see D’Elia plan) to allow staff to exit
· Upstairs within the meeting room, the Committee proposes a new unisex bathroom in the southeast corner where the stove is located, with a matching office in the northeast corner. These will require relocation of the stove, the elimination of the small entrance door to the stairwell/hallway, and allow for storage of Planning Board and Conservation Commission materials and filing cabinets away from public view
· Additional lighting is needed in the stairwell
· New or repaired windows will be installed
· New interior painting throughout, eliminating the ugly brown
· Interior window quilts will be installed in the meeting room
· New shelving is proposed within the Town Office above the long row of filing cabinets
· New shelving is proposed within the Rec Director/Welfare Director’s closet
· Metal storage shelving should be installed in the upper attic storage room
All of the above will entail a revision and update of a CCI cost estimate prepared last year.
LAND PURCHASE
7. The Committee recommended research be done on the possibility of purchasing additional acreage to the west and/or east of the Town Hall lot for future needs, feeling this is warranted if the Town is willing to substantially invest in the present building.
HISTORIC REGISTRATION
8. Town Administrator Paul Weston and Architect Ward D’Elia supported exploring the pros and cons of registering the building as an historic structure on the Federal or State level. Questions were posed whether this will restrict the Town in the future, and whether the building will qualify. Further discussion and research needs to be done before a recommendation if formulated.
Respectfully submitted,
R. Paul Weston, Town Administrator
Town of Holderness
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