The Rochester Town Hall Annex Committee has decided that the best option to solve the space and building issues for municipal departments is to build a new town hall on property the town already owns.

The property the committee has in mind is on Dexter Lane, between the Senior Center and the Police Department.

According to Chair Richard Cutler, the committee has explored numerous options and agrees that this would be the most efficient way to solve the issues at hand.

The main problems the town has had with the current Town Hall and Town Hall Annex are the American Disabilities Act compliance violations, a lack of security and a lack of meeting space.

The committee tentatively estimates the project cost will be $4.9 million, but emphasized that they cannot give a more accurate estimate unless they receive approval from voters to spend $20,000 a feasibility study.

Resident Woody Hartley spoke up, telling the committee he thinks they’ll have a hard time selling the idea to the voters.

“You’re going to have a great deal of difficulty convincing people for those kinds of reasons,” he said. “There are so many other things we could spend money on…”

Resident David Ecker also spoke up against the $4.9 million price tag.

"“I would be shocked if the voters and citizens of the town would vote to spend $4,000 per family for this project,” he said. “There are things that are a lot better use of their money.”

The committee members maintained that the number could end up being lower, and that they won’t know for sure unless they can spend the money to bring experts in.

Cutler said he understands that nobody wants to spend that much money, but “there is a need to do something.”

Another resident spoke up, expressing that she thought the possible plans for the building seemed over the top and extravagant.

The plans included a first floor with offices and a second floor with meeting rooms.

“Why do we need to pay for an elevator?” she asked. “And a nurse’s office?”

Features such as elevators are required by law to be included in any building with more than one floor so that it can be wheelchair accessible. Additionally, the committee explained there was already a nurse who spent time at town hall, but who had no real office to work from.

The committee did explore the “doing nothing” option, but the town is currently paying the Women’s Club $30,000 annually for use of their building for the Town Hall Annex, and both buildings would still need to be brought up to ADA code.

The committee said it would cost several million dollars to make the Town Hall alone accessible, and it would not solve efficiency issues with files and employees spread across two buildings.

More forums are expected in the future.