Minutes of Town Board Meetings
- Planning Board
- Board of Adjustment
- Select Board
- Budget Committee
- Building Committee
- Energy Commission
Minutes 11/04/2016
November 4th, 2016
Town of Carroll Building Committee Meeting Minutes
November 4, 2016 @ 9:00 a.m.
Carroll Town Hall
Members present: Greg Hogan, Michael Hogan, Bonnie Moroney, Jeremy Oleson and Imre Szauter
The meeting was recorded.
A sign-in sheet was routed around.
Attendees stood and recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
Attendees introduced themselves and provided a brief background regarding their participation in past efforts of the Building Committee.
Attendees discussed the purpose and scope of the Building Committee. Bonnie provided a history of the Building Committee’s activities and highlighted past warrant articles that had been rejected by the Town’s voters.
Attendees discussed the state of the Town Hall’s heating system. Greg reviewed the status of the existing systems and some of the problems with the older (main) boiler that heats most of the structure (except the administrative offices). He outlined a new proposal to replace the main boiler with two smaller, more efficient systems that could reduce the town’s heating oil use significantly. Regardless of when a new town facility might be ready for occupancy, the heating system in Town Hall must be addressed in large part due to safety concerns. Attendees decided that a warrant article would not be necessary to update the heating system. Greg offered to review an older boiler replacement proposal and get it updated so two proposals could be presented to the Select Board.
Bonnie presented her thoughts on what it would take to move forward with a strong Building Committee proposal to construct a new facility to house the police and fire departments and town administrative offices. In the meantime, the existing Town Hall must be maintained and made safe for use by town employees and the public. Even if approved by the voters today, it could take a minimum of two years to have a new facility ready for use.
Funding for a new town facility was discussed, including grants, loans, and financial assistance from other sources.
Attendees discussed the possible fate of the existing Town Hall should a new facility be constructed.
Greg outlined a proposal to fix the leaks in the fire department building roof. Jeremy described how the current roof is constructed and why it should be rebuilt to preserve the building for current and potential future uses. A consideration for a new roof would be the outcome of the emergency operations plan update currently underway and how the fire department building might play a central role as an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and/or emergency shelter.
Bonnie stated that she felt the main purpose of the Building Committee should be to put together a solid proposal for a new town facility. The Building Committee should be prepared to answer all questions related to a new town facility, including financing and energy efficiency, and how to handle existing facilities.
Jeremy recommended that any new facility should be flexible enough to accommodate changes, based on his conversations with officials in Franconia. Franconia recently replaced their public safety building that houses the police and fire departments; the new facility is a model other communities can learn from.
Michael mentioned funding assistance for municipal structures through the USDA (US Department of Agriculture) Rural Development Program. Jeremy suggested that someone be hired to put together grant proposal(s).
Attendees agreed that a warrant article for engineering, consulting and planning costs for a new facility should be prepared and submitted to the Select Board in time for the 2017 town meeting.
Jeremy reminded attendees that he made arrangements to tour the Franconia safety complex at the conclusion of this meeting.
Attendees agreed to meet again within the next two weeks to continue the discussion of a warrant article and to consider periodic meetings to keep the Building Committee moving forward.
Meeting adjourned at 10:05 a.m.