By John Estridge
Ready or not Brookville taxpayers here it comes.
Brookville Town Council members voted unanimously to begin the process of building a new town hall.
And they plan to do it by funding it like the new aquatic center was funded, through public and private funding. In the case of the aquatic center, the town put up a certain amount of money while the rest came from donations by individuals, clubs and the Brookville Foundation.
This is going on a very fast track, according to the Request for Proposals/Qualifications for a Town Hall document BTC President Curtis Ward read at the BTC meeting, Tuesday, February 9.
Bids for a company to provide “all financing services, development services, design services, sit acquisition, site work, labor and material to develop, renovate and/or construct the Project [sic],” are due by March 3, according to the request Ward read into the record.
Ward said he would like to see construction begin by the summer. The fundraising period for the aquatic center took years to finish.
“Although the Town [sic] has a clear need for new facilities, the location and scope of the Project [sic] is not determined,” Ward read into the record.
Apparently, the town council already has a pre-existing building in town in mind. Ward owns his own real estate company so he should be familiar with available buildings within the town. Ward also recently named an employee of his real estate company to a seat on the county’s Area Plan Commission even though other people applied for the position.
“The Town [sic] will likely seek to renovate and redevelop an existing building within the Town [sic], and therefore will need assistance with evaluations regarding structural integrity, schematic floorplans [sic], and complete building analysis potentially for multiple sites or buildings in the Town [sic],” the document Ward read into the record continues.
Following the choice of a site or existing building for the new town hall, the project will continue on the fast track, Ward read from the document.
“The scoping period is anticipated to be a very intense and fast-paced process, with the goal of achieving a guaranteed price and final schematic design in Spring [sic], 2021 in order to accomplish construction commencement in Summer, [sic] 2021,” Ward read.
Somewhere within the project, the town will take over the ownership of the project and provide the funds to cover the incurred debt.
“At a certain point in time, the Town [sic] would assume ownership of the Project [sic] and pledge revenues adequate to cover the debt service from a selected financial institution,” Ward read in the request.
The reason the town is seeking to build a new town hall in an existing building or constructing a new building on a plot of land, is the current town hall is inadequate, the document reads.
“The purpose and intent of the Project [sic] is to improve operational efficiencies of the city’s assets and to meet the City’s [sic] obligation to provide safe and clean municipal facilities in a post-pandemic culture,” Ward read.
The current town hall is located at 1012 Franklin Avenue in Brookville. It was the former Franklin County Community School Corporation administrative building. It was deeded to the town by the school corporation. Prior to that, the town hall for many decades was in the Main Street building, which now houses the Brookville Police Department.
Ward and newly elected board member Chuck Campbell will meet with the companies putting in the bids and bring their recommendations back to the full council.
As has become customary with this town councils, none of the other council members discussed the situation before unanimously voting to approve launching the Request for Proposals/Qualifications.
https://www.riversidecandleandco.com/
Way to hit the nail on the head!
Good post. Please stay on the BTC ! Keep them on their toes.
I think that they believe they can do whatever they want without answering to anyone.
This story is spot on! THANK YOU for your honest reporting and saying what needs to be said. To complete the project details in three weeks should tell you the details are already worked out. The taxpayers are the last to know. We do need growth in Franklin County but the growth needs to be prioritized and plans need to be made and followed. So we have the pool, a new town hall and the golf course coming up to take more of your / our taxes. We can’t pay for everything- the school is suffering, there are empty storefronts on Main Street, our infrastructure needs help and we have solar panels sneaking in behind our backs. If they can get grants to do these things that’s great but in these times when folks are suffering through a pandemic, loss of businesses and jobs, it’s not a time to put more burden on your people.