(11/10) It was a month later than he wanted, admitted Burgess Heath Barnes, but on November 4th, the town officially published a request for proposals for the construction of the long-awaited town hall.
"We’ve already received eight proposals," Barnes told the Town Council at their November 14th meeting, "and we still have the rest of November to go. Legally, we must wait 30 days from the time we issue the request. At the close of that time period, the Council will select the winning bidder."
The town staff will compile all the submissions and submit them to the Town Council for review following the closing of the 30-day waiting period. Barnes offered the council the option to pick a finalist at their December meeting or wait until the January meeting. The rational for picking a builder in December, Barnes said, would be to keep the option open that work could actually begin in 2023.
Commissioner John Cutshall said that given the sum of money that would be expended, he would prefer the extra time to review all the proposals in detail prior to choosing his finalist. Catchall’s fellow Commissioners concurred with his reasoning, as did Barnes.
Barnes had been 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."
"Unfortunately, there is no way, now, a foundation can be poured before winter sets in, and without a foundation, we’ll have to wait until Spring for construction to start, so the building’s grand opening will have to be pushed back until the Summer." Barnes said.
"One of the advantages of having multiple bids to review is that opens the door for us to pick someone that will fit our schedule. We are not bound to pick the lowest bidder," Barnes said, instead, we are allowed to factor in such things as the ability of a bidder to jump right on the work, even if their bid is not the lowest. The last thing I want to do is find ourselves in a position where we are forced to accept a bid with a contractor that can’t start work until 2025.
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.
In 2022, the Town was able to secure a $400,000 grant from the State to help with the construction. "I was very excited about the town receiving the funds, as it gave us the option to pick a better location and build a larger building like we originally wanted and not have to cut the size down due to restrictions of the lot size," Burgess Barnes said.
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