By John Estridge
At the Tuesday, February 23, Brookville Town Council meeting, BTC President Curtis Ward said the Proposals/Qualifications for a new Town Hall came directly from an executive session, and the reason to immediately move on the project is the seller wants to move quickly.
Ward read the Proposals/Qualifications for a Town Hall at the BTC meeting held on February 9. At that time, Ward said he wanted to hire a company to get the project going quickly. Bids for a company to provide “all financing services, development services, design services, site 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 at the Feb. 9 meeting.
Ward said he would like to see construction begin by the summer.
“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 at the Feb. 9 meeting.
“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 at the Feb. 9 meeting.
Town council members unanimously passed the Proposals/Qualifications for a Town Hall at the Feb. 9 meeting without one word of discussion.
There was an executive session on January 26 for the purchase or lease of real property by the governing body up to the time a contract or option to purchase or lease is executed by the parties. At the February 23 meeting, Ward said the need is for more information.
“We needed more information on it so we thought the most efficient way to do that was through the (Proposals/Qualifications for a Town Hall),” Ward said Feb. 23.
After the subject of a new town hall blew up on social media, Ward commented on a post council wants to use a vacant building on Main Street and then further intimated the building in question is the former Elsie Dreyer Nursing Home at the intersection of 3rd and Main streets at the top of Oregon Hill. It is currently owned by Knecht’s Rentals. Another large empty building downtown is the old Rosenberger’s Building. But both buildings have been on the market for a long time. Also, the Popper Building is vacant, but that one has also been on the market for a long time. It is owned by Mick Wilz. The Farmer’s Mutual Building will be vacant when that entity moves to its new location at the bottom of Oregon Hill, but it is not ADA accessible. Another potential building is the movie theater, which has been closed since the shutdown in March of 2020. Nixie’s was recently purchased and is going to be remodeled. However, it is not ADA accessible, has limited parking and probably does not have enough room. Parking at all the above-mentioned buildings is limited. However, no one on town council has made a definitive statement on which building council members are looking to buy and renovate.
He said after the proposal by a building owner to the town, there has been discussion by council members if there is a need “for that specific project.” However, that subject and specifically that discussion has never been broached in a public session.
According to Ward, prior to the offer of the property, there was no discussion among council members about the need for a new town hall. After the proposal came up, council members began discussing the bad points of the present town hall located on Franklin Avenue in Brookville.
He said the meeting room is too small. In the pre-covid world, if there were a topic, which drew a crowd, it was not possible to seat more than a few people in the small meeting room. He said it was hard to hear each other at the meeting room in the current town hall. Also it is not Americans with Disabilities friendly.
“Our building is very small, and obviously we’re not meeting there tonight, and it’s not feasible for us to,” Ward said.
Council meets in the spacious Brookville Public Library’s meeting room free of charge. There were about five people in the audience Feb. 23.
“So if we can buy the property that would benefit the town, which would have a larger space and be more accessible for the public and more acceptable to the public … have we had prior conversations about the need for that, the answer is no,” Ward said. “This was just the result of having the property presented to us.”
Town Clerk/Treasurer Gina Gillman said people with disabilities have to access the side door to the current town hall.
Town council member Catherine Pelsor said it is the town council members’ duty to look at every possibility that comes before council and see if it is beneficial to the town.
Council member Eric Johnson said he is neither for nor against the project until council members “see the details that come out of the investigation.”
“The opportunity is not presented all the time so you have to take advantage of it when it is,” Johnson said.
Council member Chuck Campbell said this could be an opportunity to join the police department with the town hall employees and functions so a citizen can go to one place and pay parking tickets and the water bill.
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If the library is allowing free àccess why would we spend taxpayer monies to build something we really don’t need?
Why does the town need a larger meeting room? Town council will not let anyone speak, and the council members have made decisions before the meetings anyway. It appears that council is not representing the citizens, just filling their own agenda.