Town House Building Committee reveals 2 renovation options

Oct 5, 2015

Two multi-million dollar plans to renovate Marion’s Town House are on the table after the Town House Building Committee received final plans and cost estimates recently.

One is a $12.5 million renovation of the Town House only with plans to add more meeting and community space. The second is an ambitious $28 million plan calling for the construction of a Senior Center and expanding the Elizabeth Taber Library.

The committee intends to present the plans in detail at Fall Town Meeting set for Oct. 26. By Annual Town Meeting in the spring, committee members hope to have a final plan ready for a vote.

The Town House was last renovated in 1970, and committee members identified multiple deficiencies related to climate control, ADA access, drainage and much more.

Plans were provided by the Marion-based firm T2 Architecture and cost estimates were created by PM&C, based in Hingham.

In June, four plans were presented at a public forum where residents weighed in on the options.

According to the committee, the library is in good shape structurally, but doesn’t adequately address how information is provided and received in the modern world.

“It is a lovely building stuck in the 19th century while the world evolves rapidly around it,” according to a press release issued by the committee.

The second option addresses that by including plans for expanded teaching and digital collections, space for teens and facilities for arts and science programs.

Committee members noted that Marion is the only town in the tri-town without a Senior Center.

This year, the Council on Aging started holding a day’s worth of programs on Mondays in the Music Hall to gauge interest in a place for seniors.

“A welcoming place for all our seniors to congregate and break bread together and participate in educational programs will enrich their and all of our lives,” according to the committee.

With the two plans in place, committee members hope residents will join a discussion on how to preserve the Town House and the library.