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NEW CANAAN, Conn. – A project to renovate New Canaan's Town Hall took another step closer to becoming official Tuesday as the Board of Finance talked dollars.
After about two hours of discussion, the New Canaan Board of Finance voted unanimously Tuesday to establish a $2.5 million bondable project for renovation of the town’s main building. The resolution appropriates money for the planning, design and construction of the project. It will also cover the cost of relocating Town Hall employees to office space in the downtown area and the second floor of the New Canaan Police Department while the work is done.
New Canaan does not expect to bond for the so-called soft costs of planning the renovations, new Chief Financial Officer Dawn Norton said. Rather, it will pull dollars from previous bonded projects that have excess funds, including money from the New Canaan High School renovation. The town will not begin seeking new bond dollars until building plans are finalized, Norton said. Tuesday’s finance board vote was “the establishment of a project to start” a rebuilding, she said.
The newly created Town Hall Building Committee will work on doing the heavy lifting on the renovation, First Selectman Robert Mallozzi III said. If all goes as planned, the town can get proposals back from architectural firms in July and hire someone in August, Public Works Director Mike Pastore said. Renovations to Town Hall, built in 1909, will likely start early next year.
The finance board also voted to establish a project to add a tier to the Locust Avenue parking lot. The board wants to make a special appropriation of $200,000 to pay architectural and engineering costs.
Both projects must still be approved by the Town Council, which is expected to vote June 20.
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