|
|
|
Waitsfield Town Office
Expansion Feasibility |
|
|
PUBLIC FORUM
Waitsfield Town Office Relocation
Monday, April 30, 2012, 7:00 PM
Waitsfield Elementary School
The Waitsfield Town Office must move. But to where? Three sites in Waitsfield Village and three sites in Irasville have been identified for consideration. What are the pros & cons? What are the estimated costs? What do citizens prefer? This will be a major investment in the physical and civic fabric of our community. A public forum will be held Monday, April 30, 2012, 7:00pm, at the Waitsfield Elementary School to present information, discuss options, and hear citizens' thoughts, ideas, concerns, and other considerations. Refreshments. For more information, visit http://www.waitsfieldvt.us/townoffice or contact Jennifer Peterson or Valerie Capels at 496-2218.
|
The Town Office has been located in the lower level of the Joslin Memorial Library building for at least twenty years. The vault—a former bank vault--is nearly out of space to store the Town's vital, historic, and land records. Space for day-to-day records storage, supplies, and basic operations is increasingly stressed. Prior years' financial records are stored off-site in a rented, non-heated storage unit. Zoning permits are stored in expensive, free-standing fireproof file cabinets, which are nearly at capacity. Another cabinet will be needed in this coming year, but there is no clear place to put it. The Town Office is not accessible to persons using wheelchairs. In August of this year it received 3 inches of flood water from Tropical Storm Irene.
The need for increased Town Office space was identified as far back as the 1980s with a study of an addition at the Waitsfield Elementary School in 1981. The need for a new vault was first included in the capital budget in 1990 and new Town Office space was has been included every year since 1998.
A Town Office Task Force was formed in 2010 to assess space needs, evaluate the various options, solicit public input, and make recommendations to the Selectboard regarding the expansion or relocation of the Town Office. Following a process of elimination, three sites were selected for further study for feasibility: (1) expansion of the Joslin Memorial Library; (2) a new building between the General Wait House and the Fire Station; and the Flemer barns adjacent to the Town-owned Flemer Field Community Green. Maclay Architects was hired in 2011 to support the work of the Task Force. The Town Office suffered flood damage by Tropical Storm Irene in August 2011. That, combined with lack of septic capacity and increased pressure for parking effectively eliminated the Library as a practical option for Town Office expansion.
Funds are budgeted in 2012 to assist the TOTF and design team in soliciting public input; refining findings and cost estimates; presenting a recommendation to the Selectboard; and determining next steps for moving forward with the selected site. Regardless which site is selected, more in depth design and engineering will need to be undertaken to develop enough information for a bond vote, which could occur as early as November 2012. A reserve fund was established at Town Meeting with an allocation of $35,000 to ensure resources are available for these next steps and to keep this initiative moving forward. Additional funds were allocated for floodproofing the Library to protect the Town Office until a new location is available to be occupied. The floodproofing investment will then benefit the Library in the future when it takes over the space.
Preliminary Site Plans
WAITSFIELD VILLAGE

click for larger image
Preliminary site plans overview, Maclay Architects, Mar. 2, 2012 (1 pg, 414 KB) 
Preliminary site plans overview, Maclay Architects, Dec. 12, 2011 (1 pg, 232 KB) 
Preliminary site plan - Barns, Maclay Architects, Dec. 12, 2011 (1 pg, 232 KB) 
Preliminary site plan - Farm Stand, Maclay Architects, Dec. 12, 2011 (1 pg, 242 KB) 
Preliminary site plan - Wait House, Maclay Architects,Dec. 12, 2011 (1 pg, 278 KB)  |
IRASVILLE CENTER

click for larger image
Preliminary site plans overview, Maclay Architects, Mar. 2, 2012 (1 pg, 336 KB) 
Site plans of individual locations are not available.
|
- The town’s future office needs should be coordinated with planning to meet the future needs of the library.
- The town office should remain in one of the two designated village centers (Waitsfield Village and Irasville) to reinforce the town’s longstanding land use, transportation and infrastructure policies.
- New or expanded town offices should meet the town’s long term needs (e.g., serve the town for 50+ years) either through initial construction or a potential for future expansion.
- The town office should enhance Waitsfield’s built environment and sense of civic pride through quality design and construction, and should serve as a model for energy efficiency.
- The decision to expand or relocate the town office should be based on a realistic understanding of the Town’s fiscal outlook and the impact on taxpayers.
- The decision to expand or relocate the town office is ultimately a decision of the voters, and any proposals made by the Town Office Task Force should be the result of an inclusive public outreach effort that provides meaningful opportunities for Waitsfield’s citizens to weigh in.
|
|
Request for Proposals
The Town of Waitsfield advertised for proposals in July 2011 to evaluate three sites in Waitsfield Village for their suitability to accommodate a relocated or expanded Town Office. The objective is to identify which one of the three properties should be advanced to the next level for design, permitting, financing, and preparation for construction. Two bids were received and the firm of Maclay Architects was selected.
Scope of Work (6 pgs, 133 KB) 
Town Office / Vault in Capital Plan Through The Years
The following is a list of entries found in the Capital Budget section in each Waitsfield Town Report beginning 22 years ago in 1990 when the need for new vault space was first noted. For example, in 1990, the Town anticipated spending $50,000 in 1995.
1. 1990 Town Report: Municipal Office Vault $50,000 in 1995
2. 1991 Town Report: Office Improvement / Vault $30,000 in 1995 and $45,000 in 1997
3. 1992 Town Report: Office Improvement / Vault $30,000 in 1995 and $45,000 in 1997
4. 1993 Town Report: Office Improvement / Vault $30,000 in 1995 and $45,000 in 1997
5 .1994 Town Report: Office Improvement / Vault $30,000 in 1996 and $45,000 in 1997
6. 1995 Town Report: Town Office New Vault $50,000 in 2000
7. 1996 Town Report: Town Office New Vault $50,000 in 2001
8. 1997 Town Report: Town Office New Vault $50,000 in 2001
9. 1998 Town Report: New Municipal Complex $2,000,000 in 2004
10. 1999 Town Report: New Municipal Building $500,000 in 2004
11. 2000 Town Report: New Municipal Building $500,000 in 2004
12. 2001 Town Report: New Municipal Building $500,000 in 2005
13. 2002 Town Report: New Municipal Building $500,000 in 2006
14. 2003 Town Report: New Municipal Building $500,000 in 2007
15. 2004 Town Report: New Municipal Building $500,000 in 2008
16. 2005 Town Report: New Municipal Building $500,000 in 2009
17. 2006 Town Report: New Municipal Building $500,000 in 2009
18. 2007 Town Report: New Municipal Building $500,000 in 2010
19. 2008 Town Report: New Municipal Building $750,000 in 2011
20. 2009 Town Report: New Municipal Building $750,000 in 2012
21. 2010 Town Report: New Municipal Building $750,000 in 2013
22. 2011 Town Report: New Municipal Building $1.1 million in 2013
Early Drawings & Plans
JOSLIN MEMORIAL LIBRARY
FLEMER BARNS
Lister card,showing dimensions
(1 pg, 53 KB) 
The Flember barns are located on a parcel of land that also includes a multi-family residential building and a leased garden area.
Flemer Barn 1, 2011 (click for larger image) |
Flemer Barn 2, 2011 (click for larger image) |
|
Wait House Town Green Planning Project Option, 1996 |
|
WAIT HOUSE COMPLEX
The objective at the Wait House complex is to explore the feasibility of a new building between the Wait House and the Fire Station. Renovation of the Wait House would not be an option that meets the Town Office space needs.
Wait House septic field location 1996 (1 pg, 52 KB) 
Wait House Town Green Concept, memo from Bob Burley, October 16, 1996 (2 pgs, 177 KB) 
Wait House Town Green Concept (rendered), Burley Partnership, May 1996 (1 pg, 278 KB) 
Wait House Town Green Planning Project Goals & Objectives, Broadleaf & Sanford Strauss, 1996 (2 pgs, 107 KB) 
Wait House Fire Station Outline of Considerations, 1996 (2 pgs, 68 KB) 
Wait House Complex from Fire Dept. driveway, 2011
(click for larger image) |
Wait House Complex from cemetery, 2011 (click for larger image) |
|
Reports & Studies
Brief History of Joslin Library, an exceprt from the 1991 Waitsfield Town Report that aslo includes a brief history of the Town Clerk's Office beginning in the third paragraph. (2 pgs, 248 KB )  |
Town Office Task Force
The Town Office occupies approximately 1,780 square feet, which is the entire lower level of the Library. This does not include the off-site records storage in the basement at the Wait House and in a rented cold storage unit at the Kingsbury Industrial Park. Below are two estimates of new Town Office space needs, one from 2010 and one from 1981.
November 2010 (1 pg, 33 KB) 1981 (1 pg, 29 KB) 
|
|
The Town Office Task Force (TOTF) was formed in 2010. Members include Sandra Gallup (former Clerk/Treasurer), Charlie Hosford (Selectboard), John Reilly (Joslin LIbrary), Brian Shupe (community planner, DRB), Brian Voigt (Planning Commission) and staff Jennifer Peterson (Clerk/Treasurer) and Valerie Capels (Town Administrator).
October 28, 2010 meeting memo (1 pg, 121 KB) 
Minutes
Selectboard minutes
October 5, 1998 excerpt (1 pg, 84 KB) 
January 9, 2012 (7 pgs, 236 KB) 
Town Office Task Force 2010 minutes
October 28, 2010 meeting memo (1 pg, 121 KB) 
October 28, 2010 (2 pgs, 80 KB) 
November 9, 2010 (1 pg, 65 KB) 
November 30, 2010 (1 pg, 64 KB) 
|
Town Office Task Force 2011 minutes January 6, 2011 (1 pg, 157 KB) 
February 3, 2011 (1 pg, 132 KB) 
February 10, 2011 Public Forum (3 pgs, 154 KB) 
April 28, 2011 (1 pg, 64 KB) 
June 20, 2011 (1 pg, 119 KB) 
July 14, 2011 (1 pg, 132 KB) 
August 18, 2011 (1 pg, 64 KB) 
June 20, 2011 (1 pg, 119 KB) 
September 13, 2011 (1 pg, 123 KB) 
November 17, 2011 (4 pgs, 196 KB) 
December 13, 2011 (1 pg, 63 KB) 
December 22, 2011 (1 pg, 122 KB)  |
Town Office Task Force 2012 minutes January 23, 2012 (1 pg, 120 KB) 
February 9, 2012 Public Forum (x pg, xxx KB) 
February 22, 2012 (1 pg, 120 KB) 
April 2, 2012 (1 pg, 65 KB)  |
|
Updated
April 26, 2012
|
Waitsfield's
Official Web Site
|
Disclaimer
Although the Town of Waitsfield strives
for high quality, accuracy, and completeness in the content on its Web site, it
does not warrant or make any guarantees as to the quality, content, accuracy,
or completeness of the information, text, graphics, links, and other items associated
with this site. Also, the Town will not be liable or responsible for damages
of any kind arising from the use of online agendas, minutes, or other information
offered on this Web site. Please be aware that some documents, such as agendas and minutes, are subject to
change after they have been posted. Official copies of municipal documents may be obtained from the Waitsfield Town Office, 9 Bridge Street, Waitsfield,
VT 05673. Please
send comments to: webmeister@waitsfieldvt.us
Hosted by http://www.networksolutions.com
Copyright © Town of Waitsfield, Vermont.
|