Mattapoisett Town Hall could see renovation, rebuild

Jan 27, 2012

Mirroring plans in Marion and Rochester, Mattapoisett’s Town Hall could undergo a renovation or complete rebuild, according to Town Administrator Mike Gagne.

Although talk of such a project has been in around for more than a year, Gagne said the town would receive a full evaluation in about three weeks. He did not know what the costs would be at this point.

“We don’t have any definitive decisions right now,” Gagne said. “There certainly are a lot of things to consider: Do we stay here and do renovation, do we move and rebuild, or do we even have a place to move to?”

Gagne said the 1898 building has a lot of things to be fixed: Shingle work, painting, ventilation and plumbing are just a few. He also said extensive exterior work was needed.

New furnaces were recently installed after the building’s late-1950s models were producing a large amount of smoke in the building.

Accessibility for the handicapped is also an issue, according to Gagne. Fall’s Town Meeting approved a new front door system, which will have an automatic opening device, but it has not yet been installed.Selectman Jordan Collyer said the doorway has been the site of a handful of trips and falls.

Access to the second level of the Town Hall is stairway only.

“There are a lot of things to do,” Gagne said. “We have to look at other government buildings too. After the evaluations are done, we’ll be able to prioritize and hopefully get started.”

The plans for Town Hall renovation echo recent attempts from Marion and Rochester.

Marion Town Administrator Paul Dawson said an “existing conditions survey” was conducted last year to determine the current state of the Town House, which he said was in need of renovations or rebuilding.

Dawson requested $141,000 at fall’s Town Meeting to hire an “owner’s project manager” to oversee all aspects of the work from inception to completion, which is required by state law for projects costing more than $1.5 million.

Dawson’s request was denied, but he recently said that an advisory committee had been formed to look into the project again.

Rochester Town Administrator Rich LaCamera brought up the issue in November, stating a new roof and heating system were at the top of the “needs work” list.

Earlier this month, LaCamera proposed building a Town Hall on Dexter Lane, and a committee was formed to explore the options of new locations and the best way to use the current one.