Final bond amount under $3M

Officials finalize proposed office building design

Waterbury officials will ask voters to approve a bond of up to $2,950,000 for the construction of a new building for municipal offices, the public library and historical society at the Janes House at 28 North Main St. Voters will weigh in on the bond at Town Meeting on March 4.

In a meeting Monday night at the Main Street Fire Station, the municipal building committee recommended that the select board issue a warning for the bond vote based on a revised building design known as Option B-12.

After a brief presentation from Ashar Nelson, the project’s principal architect from Vermont Integrated Architecture, the village trustees, select board and building committee all agreed to the plan’s latest design and price tags.

Long-term Recovery Director Barb Farr said she’s been meeting regularly with Nelson and committee members to assess the project’s needs, while also taking into consideration feedback from a public informational meeting held Jan. 16.

“The objective was to condense the footprint, overall square feet … and still maintain a functioning building that will suit the community for years to come,” Farr said in an email.

The Option B-12 design calls for new construction for the library and municipal offices attached to the existing Janes House site, which will be renovated. The large, connected complex would have a total footprint of 15,950 square feet, reduced from 16,685 square feet in previous plans.

Services for the library, municipal offices and historical society will be spread out over two floors of the facility.

More specifically, plans include a 7,656-square-foot, two-story library; 1,365 square feet of shared community space on the first floor; 5,859 square feet of new construction and renovations for municipal offices; and 1,070 square feet of space in the Janes House for the historical society.

Revisions to the design reduced the total construction cost by $193,641 to $4,351,724. The total project budget, which also includes design development, dropped by $18,490 to $4,984,372.

Voters rejected a previous bond in June to build a new municipal building on former State Office Complex land off Park Row. That bond was for $5 million, and the overall project cost was estimated at $7.75 million.

“The voters that responded to the late summer survey indicated that cost was the number one concern,” Farr said. “The (new) project has a much reduced cost by several million dollars and represents a more conservative approach to the needs of the entire community.”

Farr said the library has offered to add another $200,000 to its initial $300,000 contribution toward construction of the new facility. On top of that, Farr said the library also intends to raise another $200,000 in pledges to help lower project costs.

Some members of the community have questioned whether a new library should be included in the project.

The building committee plans to hold two more community informational meetings at Thatcher Brook Primary School on Stowe Street. The meetings are scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 19, and Thursday, Feb. 27, at 6:30 p.m.

The bond vote takes place at Thatcher Brook on March 4. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.