MONTAGUE — Town officials are considering the future of the largely vacant Town Hall annex, including the potential to use it as “a multi-purpose space for media and the arts.”
The idea arose as part of the town’s 2021 Downtown Rapid Recovery Plan one year after the space was vacated by the Department of Public Works in October 2020. The plan states the building is in “good condition,” particularly following the addition of a new roof in 2019. Regardless of what the space may become, the plan anticipates the project to cost upwards of $200,000 and take five to 10 years to complete.
Although the building has been considered largely vacant for a year, Town Planner Walter Ramsey, speaking during this week’s Selectboard meeting, said the amount of space left underutilized is good cause for discussion.
“It is still used to some degree by a couple different parties,” he explained, “but for the most part, there’s pretty substantial portions that are sitting there in a vacant state ready for re-use.”
Ramsey said the town wants to transform the annex into a space used for “something more than storage.” As an example, he brought up the idea of transforming it into a community television studio.
“It’s got a lot of potential,” he said, “so we want to make sure we can maximize the use of that for public benefit.”
Ramsey said the first step in figuring out how to use the space is fielding the needs of each town department.
“Before I get too far down the road speaking with architects … we need to step back and take a look at what the best use is for the town of Montague on that site,” Ramsey said. “Essentially, the town needs to figure out a program of use and then we can come up with a plan for how that could be implemented.”
Town Administrator Steve Ellis added that early in the process, aside from “creative internal visioning,” the town will need to conduct a structural feasibility study.
“As you consider changing a space like this,” Ellis said, “you do need an architectural study that supports its redevelopment.”
The Selectboard will also be tasked with allocating money to hire an architect for a feasibility study. Ellis said the town will seek grants and look to enter a long-term lease plan, should the annex require a build-out as expected.
“We’re going to want to be thoughtful, clever and have an eye toward the future,” Ellis noted. “Once we’ve committed, we’re probably committing for a 10-, 15- or even 20-year period.”
The Selectboard responded positively to the idea.
“I think that having community engagement space there would be excellent,” Selectboard Clerk Matt Lord commented.
“I endorse the idea of doing research into what we can do to revitalize the area,” Selectboard Chair Rich Kuklewicz said. “I would even go a little further at looking at the area where the Police Station was under Town Hall and seeing if that can be better organized.”
Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-772-0261, ext. 261 or jmendoza@recorder.com.