(9/15) Burgess Heath Barnes could barely contain his glee as he told the Town Council that if all goes as planned, the last hurdle in the formal issuing of request to bid on the building of the Town’s new Town Hall - the much awaited County permits approving the building’s design and environmental related aspects - could be issued within weeks.
Barnes said that he has been calling everyone he knew to fast track the process and left no stone unturned when it came to moving the project forward as fast as it could.
"Once we have the permits," Barnes said, "we can advertise for bids to build the hall. Legally we must wait 30 days from the time we issue the request, to the time we select the winning bidder."
Barnes said he was eager to get the foundation and basement of the building in place before winter sets in. "Those are the items that can be adversely affected by cold weather, so I would like to get them done as soon as possible," he said. "Once in place, the actual construction of the building can go on no matter how cold the winter is."
Given how tight the schedule is going to be, Barnes told the Council that if the permits come in as expected in the latter half of September, and the bid requests goes out immediately after, the town council would be in a position to select the winning bidder by the end of mid October.
"Unfortunately, no matter how hard we push, we will not be in a position to select a winning bidder by the October Town Council meeting. But if we wait until the November meeting, which will be held in the middle of November, there is no way a foundation can be poured before winter sets in, and without a foundation, we’ll have to wait until Spring for construction to start, as apposed to waiting until Spring for its grand opening."
To minimize any chance that construction could be delayed, Barnes asked if the members of the Town Council would be willing to meet prior to the scheduled October Planning Commission meeting to review all the submitted bids and select a winner.
"I know it’s only two weeks before our normal November meeting, but that could very well be the difference between being able to pour concrete or not," he said.
Barnes’s request was met with unanimous support from the Town Council.
In March, the Council voted unanimously to approve the design and proposed site plan for the new town hall to be located at the site of the old JR Sports Bar and Restaurant, a.k.a. The Hut, on Main Street.
The Town of Woodsboro has never had an official town hall to gather and conduct town business in. Town meetings are currently conducted in the back meeting room of Saint John’s Church and Town business is being conducted in a trailer at the waste water treatment facility. "Finally having an ‘official’ Town Hall will address long pent-up hopes and dreams of the residents of Woodsboro," Barnes said.
The 2,960 square foot building will include a conference room on the right immediately upon entrance, with the town manager’s office on the left adjoining the file room. The Burgess’s office will be adjacent to the front conference hall. The middle of the building will consist of a ‘kitchenette’ and bathrooms, with the back part of the hall set aside as a large conference room with the ability to seat 40.
Barnes’ noted that one of the nicest revisions to the plans was the segmentation of the hall into two parts, which would allow the front section to be locked while allowing the back section, including the bathrooms, to be used by groups like the Lions Clubs without worrying about the security of Town offices or records.
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