Marion looks to request an estimated $2.7 million for Town House renovation

MARION — There’s an estimated $3.7 million price tag on the Marion Town House renovation.

Town Administrator Geoffrey Gorman announced at the Tuesday, March 4 Select Board meeting the project had been put out for bid in order to pinpoint its exact costs for the request being prepared for the upcoming Spring Town Meeting Monday, May 12.

The project includes some soft costs like the relocation of the staff during renovation, which have already been included in the total. Approximately $1 million in grants and community preservation funds are anticipated to help with costs, bringing down the funding request to about $2.7 million.

“We will have to move the Town House for the project, which could take between eight and 10 months,” Gorman said.

Marion residents previously rejected a $7.9 million renovation in 2018 due to costs. With the contentious renovation proposal causing a divide, other means of updating Town Hall were sought out.

In 2021, the historical society, individual donations and community preservation money brought $1 million in renovations to Town House. This included window, roof, and siding upgrades that replicated the building's original designs from 1876.

Included in the $1 million for the proposed renovation is funding for repairs to the Main Street entrance outside of Town Hall, and the $206,000 allocation from October 2024 meant for Americans with Disabilities Act compliance and fire sprinklers.

“There was money for basement waterproofing, which we will be returning back to [the Community Preservation Committee] because we don’t find that is the appropriate use for that money,” Gorman said. “It was approved for waterproofing, not for Town House renovation, so we will be returning that, and then asking for it back.”

Full discussion and review of Town Meeting requests like the renovation of the Town Home will take place Wednesday, April 9.