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Date: 10/20/2016
EAST LONGMEADOW – The town is gearing up for a second round of renovations at Town Hall, which would make room for a Human Resources office in the building.
“The Public Works Department has met with me about the needs under the new charter – we need to make some space for the Human Resources Department,” Interim Town Manager Denise Menard told Reminder Publications. “Space is pretty limited here. The footprint is what it is so we have to work within the walls that we have.”
She explained the renovations would take place at the existing meeting room on the first floor of Town Hall and nearby offices that include the town manager’s office, and Town Council office.
The town manager’s office would move to where the existing meeting room is located, she explained. The Human Resources office would be located where the existing town manager’s office is. The space would also have room for department heads to meet.
The town’s benefits coordinator would also gain a larger office as a part of the project, she noted.
“It’s tiny and she has to meet with employees and they have to fill out paperwork,” Menard added. “There is just not enough room there.”
Some of the existing walls would be demolished and new walls would be created, ultimately changing the entire appearance of the area in Town Hall, she noted. Three rooms would be renovated in total.
Menard said plans for the renovation are contingent on approval by the Town Council. The project was funded for $150,000 by the voters during the 2016 Annual Town Meeting.
“They’re going to start removing furniture and do the preliminary stuff the week of Nov. 1,” she noted. “They expect it to be concluded January of 2017.”
She described the timeline as “aggressive” and said she was confident the town would meet its goal.
“Even if it’s not totally done there’s enough space [in the existing meeting room] that they could move a desk out there if they had to and if I was the town manager I wouldn’t mind sitting out there and have the [human resource] person come on board sooner rather than later,” she added. “We’ll figure it out; for sure.”
When asked about her thoughts on the addition of a Human Resources Department in town hall, she responded, “I think it’s a great step towards progress in both adding to the professionalism in the town government organization and also a step toward complying with what the charter is mandating.”
Menard said boards and committees that host meetings at the existing location would be moved to the library’s meeting room while the renovations take place.
She added the long-term plan is to host Town Council meetings at the Senior Center.