Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 11/29/2023
LONGMEADOW — The possibility of moving the town offices to the Greenwood Center is a step closer to a reality. Town Manager Lyn Simmons shared the results of a feasibility study on the building.
A town hall at the Greenwood Center would consolidate under one roof municipal offices that are now split between the Town Hall and the Community House. The offices would occupy the wing of the building that was formerly the Senior Center, leaving the rest of the building for other uses. The new site would offer more parking and would be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The feasibility study of the 10,000-square-foot space was completed by LLB Architects. It explored two options for a renovation of the space — one basic and one “enhanced” plan. Both options would include a fire suppression system, which the 1960s-era building does not currently have.
Patrick Torborg of LLB Architects said the basic renovation would include new paint, flooring and a new ceiling to replace the existing drop ceiling. The eight departments would each have an entryway with a transaction counter separated from the rest of the office by a door. The cubicles, separated by half-walls, would provide a space for each person to work. There would also be a small area in each office for department members to work collaboratively or meet with people. A larger conference room seating about 12 people would also be included. Restrooms and a breakroom for town employees are also called for in the plan.
The difference between the two designs is mostly in “the extent of the aesthetic improvements and the build-out of full walls and meeting rooms,” said Simmons. The enhanced renovation plan would include full-height cubicle walls, an extra conference room, walled-off collaborative spaces for privacy, wood panels and higher-end fixtures.
Including office furniture, the basic renovation was estimated to cost $2.8 million. The enhanced version would be $4.55 million. If neither of those options were chosen, there is also the possibility of giving the interior of the building a “facelift” using $1.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding. This option would replace the carpeting, repaint the walls and use modular furniture. Simmons said this option would not include a fire suppression system.
Select Board Chair Thomas Lachiusa said the offices were the best use of the space he had seen proposed; however, he would like to receive input from the Building Committee and the Long-Range Planning Committee. He asked Torborg if town employees had given their thoughts during the process. The architect said staff had been met with and the Town Hall had been toured.
Select Board member Mark Gold asked Simmons if the Greenwood Center was meant to act as a temporary home for the offices or be a more permanent town hall. She told him the two options from LBB Architects were designed to serve as a town hall for between 30 and 50 years.
Gold said he would rather “do it once and do it right” and suggested pursuing a Proposition 2½ exemption for the $4.55 million. “$5 million is a lot of money, but not for 50 years of a town hall.” He said that the building has good “bones” and that work had recently been completed on the roof and electrical system. Gold added that the ARPA funding could then be spent on other projects, as it must be appropriated by the end of 2024.
Select Board member Josh Levine agreed, saying the “facelift” would be “throwing money away.” He noted that many other towns have town halls in repurposed buildings that still resemble the original use. Instead, he said the town should “do something good that we can be proud of.”
Select Board members Dan Zwirko and Vineeth Hemavathi also agreed. The latter asked if the building could be made more sustainable with upgrades. Torborg said he would have to review the building with that in mind but offered that the HVAC system and proper insulation are the best opportunities for saving energy.
Gold said the town government had grown over the past 30 years and suggested leaving room in the building for future growth.
Simmons said that grant funding is being sought to address the exterior of the building. She cautioned that a vote to pay for the middle school project would be put before residents in the near future. She added that she would confer with Finance Director Ian Coddington regarding the financing options for the Greenwood Center.
When asked about how the existing Town Hall and Community House might be repurposed, Simmons said that conversation, with community input, would have to be had in the future.