EAST HARDWICK – These are musings about the cost of renovating a building like Town Hall (TH). TH has been allowed to move into disrepair and refitting it involves a chunk of money. It seems obvious that the town has not had the kind of money it takes to keep up with the expenses of the TH building along with flooding issues adding to our many community’s needs.
Both the fate of town hall and the flooding issues intersect with our humanity and human needs: a place to live or the ability to live in a place, and/or a place holding precious memories.
When building apartments at TH first came to light, I took a walk through the entire building a few times with friends and colleagues noting the spaces and historical accoutrements.
Personally, the exterior of the TH building is not an attractive one, as Mary White mentions; however, the interior has some notable features: the ceiling tiles and the staircase, but the wide hallways and large rooms are also attractive. The gym, on the third floor is a room to behold. I found myself imagining the years of children making their way through its space, or its possibilities: adults that might use the room for meetings, researching, a reading lounge, study.
The possibilities for the building live in my imagination, and maybe yours. Is this building serving our community now, we should ask? How might it? I can imagine an attractive horseshoe shape complete with the town green.
Mary White suggested tearing down the TH and beginning again. That made more sense than anything I’ve heard. Why? Because of the expense of renovation to different needs. Or, perhaps considering a variation: removing the top floor(s) while also utilizing components like the tiles in a new more usable design in a new, usable building. Beginning again with components of the old could honor old and new, and it may be less expensive.
I believe there is a middle ground that will satisfy the housing, parking, the green, the neighbors, and the drainage and so on. A middle ground instead of an either/or solution.
Saving Town Hall will only serve to have it continually deteriorate, does that make sense? Putting in 20 apartments into the TH building as it is will cost excessive millions not to mention the loss of trees (will that mean erosion or water issues flowing down to the center of town or adjoining neighbors) does not make sense, either.
Will you ever be in the nursing home, is your family there, do you enjoy the benefits of the brewery, cheese, the Highland Center, or circus people, or simply enjoy our town’s economic viability. Viability includes Willey’s Store. Local organizations are here year around and have employees to house, now, lest they decide to move on.
If you answer yes to these questions about local organizations, then we have to come together and solve this now and not keep kicking the can down the road. The deterioration of the building will not stop, though you may not see the TH roof cave in. TH is already unusable as it is, I hear. As it sits the dollars add up for very basic maintenance. Drive down any road in Greensboro or Hardwick and see the effects of deterioration.
Mary White’s thought of beginning again seems to be a wiser decision when faced with the reality of the expense of refitting the Town Hall. Heavens knows there are other communities that need financing, too. I wonder should we abuse all that money to satisfy our memories?
Is there a figure to compare the costs of razing the building versus refitting it? Of course, there are also other issues involved, perhaps for another letter.
Shelly Jungwirth
