Selectmen want to consider construction that would connect the Town House and the Elizabeth Taber Library, creating one expanded, renovated municipal building.

The Selectmen appointed the Town House Advisory Committee in January of 2012. Following a public meeting in September and a request from residents for options at Fall Town Meeting, the committee honed the options to three: to renovate the entire building, to renovate the front of the building built in 1877 and demolish the rear built in 1890, or to build a new Town Hall and find other uses for the existing one.

On Tuesday, Town Administrator Paul Dawson presented a fourth option, suggested by the Financial Committee.

The “campus approach,” which had been discussed before, would physically connect the Town Hall with the library next door. The option, said Dawson, would be to “study the possibility of enacting some sort of economy of scale.”

Advisory committee member Jerry Ferrari agreed that consolidating resources through a one-building approach could reduce heating, electrical, and maintenance costs. A unified building could also provide more resources to the Council on Aging, said officials.

“We should consider looking at making this new compatible addition as one of your options,” said Selectman John Henry.

Committee Chair Ted North was also amenable to adding the option.

Ultimately, however, voters will have to approve the hiring of a town planner and architect to conduct studies on the four options, something that was shot down at a previous meeting.

The board and committee agreed that a presentation at Town Meeting to explain the need was important.

“The first step is getting to Town Meeting and making sure voters understand,” said Dawson.