Community Discussion Tuesday 9/13

Community Discussion

Subject: New Town Office Options
When: Tuesday, September 13th
Where: Community Library at BFA Fairfax
Time: 7:00pm

Town Office Report
to the Taxpayers of Fairfax
Public Meeting September 13th
by the Town Office Committee

At Town Meeting in April the voters of Fairfax narrowly defeated a proposal to purchase 9.9 acres of land in the village as a possible site for a new Town Office.

Following the vote, an informal survey revealed that the proposal was defeated primarily because 1.) people did not fully understand the need; 2.) other options were not considered, or at least not presented; 3). 9.9 acres seemed like too much land and; 4.) the total cost of the proposal, beyond the land purchase, was not clear.

In response, the Selectboard established a Town Office Committee, staffed by volunteers, to try to quantify the need, to look at other options, to consider whether a smaller parcel could meet the need, and try to determine the overall cost of the project, beyond the simple purchase of land.

The seven people who volunteered have met more than a dozen times since April. Some of those meetings involved walking and measuring parcels of land, while other meetings involved discussions, with land owners and among ourselves, of the various options and their associated issues.

The first issue involved identifying the needs, shortcomings and deficiencies of the current Town Office. These can be summarized in three basic categories:

1. The building space will not meet the Town's needs much longer. Office staff projected that more than twice the current space will eventually be needed for storage, space for small and large public meetings, office space for additional staff, and an enlarged vault for vital records and land records.
2. Parking is woefully inadequate. Eight people work in the Town Office today and they each drive a car to work. There are eight parking spaces. Overflow parking during school hours is non-existent, and parking on the roadway, around a dangerous curve, is not safe.
3. The building is in desperate need of significant repairs. Perhaps most importantly, the foundation leaks, resulting in a frequently wet basement. Mold and mildew have resulted in the spring and summer, creating odor and potential health hazards. The real solution would involve lifting the building and installing a new foundation and floor with proper perimeter drainage. A 2007 study commisioned by the School (Owner of the building) revealed about $123,000 in needed and recommended repairs and improvements. 2011 estimates for these repairs and any others identified since 2007 have not been obtained. Any significant repairs would also trigger the need to make the building handicap accessible, according to the Americans for Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements, including an elevator to the second floor.
Based on these needs and issues the committee has begun to look at options. One option would be to repair and renovate the current structure and add over 3000 square feet of new space (the amount identified following a survey of the current staff) to the current building, and expand the parking around this enlarged building further onto school-owned land. This option was presented to the School Board for their consideration, since they own the building and the property. They responded in late July that they would allow expansion further onto school land but they would not convey the building or the property to the town. We are now waiting for them to tell us if they would grant a perpetual lease.

We also proceeded to look for other options. Specifically we examined the Village area to try to identify other possible locations for construction of a new Town Office. And, while our focus was within the Village we have not ruled out the possibility that a location outside the Village is possible. Two to three acres of land was determined to be a reasonable target parcel. This is sufficient property for a new office building, adequate parking and future expansion.

We contacted ten land owners regarding thirteen possible parcels of interest. All but five parcels belonging to five different land owners have been eliminated for various reasons. The remaining five parcels all have some advantages and some drawbacks, which we are still studying.

In attempting to look at the total cost of the project, we have started to list all the elements of the project for which there would be a cost. These elements include land purchase; rights-of-way; road construction; parking lot construction; building design; site preparation; building construction; renovation and remodeling; sewer and water costs: permitting; temporary quarters; moving costs; and financing options. None of our estimates is yet complete, but we are getting closer.

The committee has much work yet to do before we bring final recommendations or proposals to the town. We are ready to schedule our first Public Information Meeting, at 7:00pm on Tuesday, September 13th, in the BFA Library, to present our preliminary findings and gain your feedback.

This is important work and we are carefully studying the issues from many perspectives. If and when we ask voters to approve a proposal, we want to make sure that we have considered the needs, the options and the costs thoroughly. In the meantime we will continue our efforts and would welcome any feedback you may wish to pass on.

At this time it would be very helpful for us to know how many options you would like to have presented for further consideration at a town-wide meeting. Since each option we present may have different topography, dimensions and access issues which will dictate a different building design, we do not want to design too many buildings. Comments, questions and suggestions should be forwarded to the committee through Skip Taylor in the Town Office. He can be reached via email at fairfaxza@yahoo.com, or by phone at 849-6111, extension 4.