Bids to be sought to build Town Hall

(10/28) Following the issuing of all required County permits, all the Town is waiting for to began to solicit bid for the construction of the Town’s new Town Hall is the submission of the final plans by the architect, which Burgess Barnes hopes will happen the first week of November.

"Legally, we must wait 30 days from the time we issue the request. At the close of that time period, the Council will select the winning bidder, which we hope to do in mid-November.

Barnes said he was eager to get the foundation and basement of the building in place before winter sets in. "Those are the items that can be adversely affected by cold weather, so I would like to get them done as soon as possible," he said. "Once in place, the actual construction of the building can go on no matter how cold the winter is."

"Unfortunately, no matter how hard we push, we will not be in a position to select a winning bidder by the November Town Council meeting. But if we wait until the December meeting, there is no way a foundation can be poured before winter sets in, and without a foundation, we’ll have to wait until Spring for construction to start, as opposed to waiting until Spring for its grand opening."

To minimize any chance that construction could be delayed, Barnes said he may consider calling a special Town Council meeting to review all the submitted bids and select a winner.

In March, the Council voted unanimously to approve the design and proposed site plan for the new town hall to be located at the site of the old JR Sports Bar and Restaurant, a.k.a. The Hut, on Main Street.

The Town of Woodsboro has never had an official town hall to gather and conduct town business in. Town meetings are currently conducted in the back meeting room of Saint John’s Church and Town business is being conducted in a trailer at the waste water treatment facility. "Finally having an ‘official’ Town Hall will address long pent-up hopes and dreams of the residents of Woodsboro," Barnes said.

The 2,960 square foot building will include a conference room on the right immediately upon entrance, with the town manager’s office on the left adjoining the file room. The Burgess’s office will be adjacent to the front conference hall. The middle of the building will consist of a ‘kitchenette’ and bathrooms, with the back part of the hall set aside as a large conference room with the ability to seat 40.

Barnes’ noted that one of the nicest revisions to the plans was the segmentation of the hall into two parts, which would allow the front section to be locked while allowing the back section, including the bathrooms, to be used by groups like the Lions Club without worrying about the security of Town offices or records.

In 2022, the Town was able to secure a $400,000 grant from the State to help in the construction. "I was very excited about the town receiving the funds, as it gave us the option to pick a better location and build a larger building like we originally wanted and not have to cut the size down due to restrictions of the lot size," Burgess Barnes said.