ORANGE — With broken pipes, windows and doors, a faulty electrical and phone system, the Orange seat of government needs some major repairs.
At this week’s Selectboard meeting, acting Town Administrator Gabriel Voelker proposed adding an article to the annual Town Meeting warrant, allowing voters to decide whether spending thousands on Town Hall upgrades is worth it or not.
“We will not be just willy-nilly spending the money,” Voelker told the Selectboard on Wednesday. “It’s an article for $30,000 to repair some major issues in this building.”
The Selectboard voted unanimously to allow the article to be added to the Town Meeting warrant. The article must be on the warrant by May 14, well ahead of the Town Meeting on June 18, which will be at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall at 6 Prospect St.
According to Voelker, it is unrealistic to get estimates for all of the repairs before May 14, and it’s likely the necessary repairs could cost more than $30,000.
“I don’t know about you, but all the house projects I’ve done with a carpenter have always cost me more than the estimate,” Voelker said.
However, Voelker said $30,000 taken out of the capital stabilization fund would be good start.
“It’s a beginning, it’s a scratch on the surface,” Voelker said. “What I want to do is start in July working on major issues in the building.”
While the Selectboard ultimately voted to add the article to the warrant, some members wanted assurance that the article would be specific.
Newest Selectboard member Jane Peirce said she wants to let taxpayers know where their money might go, and to avoid a situation in which the money could be used for other purposes.
“I can hear ‘slush fund,’ I can hear it now,” Peirce said. “The more specific you can be, and the more it’s possible to have very good numbers to each item, the better it will be.”
Peirce was also clear that repairs are necessary. During the same meeting, there was an announcement that the Town Hall’s phones were not working properly, and that members of the public should look up the emails of town officials online, rather than call the Town Hall.
“There’s no doubt that the place is falling apart,” Peirce said. “If we don’t have a working phone system or a bathroom, that’s kind of a hint that there’s trouble here.”
Voelker also mentioned the upstairs electrical wiring — strung throughout the walls surrounding a large ballroom with wooden floors — could be a fire hazard.
“The upstairs wiring is failing wiring that is crumbling because of age — in the front of the building and over the stage, and over the stage is a concern because people are running extension chords every time they have a program,” Voelker said. “Let’s solve it now before we regret it.”
Voelker alleviated some of the Selectboard’s apprehension by describing the warrant, which would have a “not to exceed” clause of $30,000 to be earmarked for specific projects.
“People know you’ve got $30,000, you’re going to fix A, B, C, D. We’re doing it in small chunks so things get done, people know the cost,” Voelker said.
“That would be called positive progress,” said Selectboard member James Cornwell, who voiced his support for the Selectboard to be the sponsors of the article.
On April 30, Voelker will present the plan to the Finance Committee, which will give its insight on the article and town finances.
“I think this is a very appropriate use of town capital,” Voelker said.
Reach David McLellan at:
dmclellan@recorder.com or
413-772-0261, ext. 268.