CONWAY — Town officials are looking into ways to “spruce up” and improve the overall appearance of the Town Office.
The discussion on outdoor landscaping improvements — which members agreed would begin with a draft plan and a subsequent request for quotes — followed a recent Selectboard discussion with Janice Warner, tax collector/treasurer, who expressed concerns she and other town employees have about the indoor working space at the Town Office on Main Street.
“I’ve been here since 2005, and we’ve been pushing for this since then,” Warner said. “Our office space is terribly crowded and inefficient, and in many areas non-compliant with some of the things agencies ask us to do.”
She said the Town Office is cramped and lacks the ability to lock individual offices. Instead, files are locked up.
“We’re happy to work there,” she said. “We just could use a better working space.”
Warner, who added the need for more space has become more apparent since the start of the pandemic, brought her concerns to the attention of the board at its Aug. 3 meeting in light of a nearby property that is up for sale.
The idea to purchase property for the purpose of town office expansion — which would require a Town Meeting vote — would be an alternative to renovating the existing offices, an idea that arose last year and ultimately resulted in the formation of a committee, according to Town Administrator Tom Hutcheson.
However, for a number of reasons, namely the start of budget season and the pandemic, Hutcheson has not been able to move forward with the committee.
“I think the overarching question is whether the Selectboard would like to consider the approach of buying another property, either instead of or with some smaller renovations to be done to existing buildings,” Hutcheson said.
Although no vote was taken to adopt a policy for purchasing property for town office expansion, Selectboard member Phil Kantor said Warner was “dead on” with respect to her concerns for the building. But he also acknowledged the “uncertain financial situation” linked to the pandemic.
Still, Warner asked board members to consider a plan moving forward.
“I don’t want it to fall on the back shelf,” she said. “We got the highway garage done and that was a priority, and that’s great. I just want you to think about the town office space.”
Warner also noted that the outdoor landscaping requires attention, suggesting it would be a “much easier fix.” She recalled a time when she took it upon herself to repost a signpost that had been down for about a year.
Hutcheson said landscaping improvements would come out of the building maintenance budget, which has been level for many years.
“It says a lot to the community what people think about their town space,” Warner said. “I think we need to care about our Town Office and show people we’re a proud town.”
Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 263. Twitter: @MaryEByrne