ENFIELD — An architect charged with evaluating the future of Enfield’s municipal buildings recommends the town build a new public safety building capable of housing the police, fire and ambulance departments under one roof.
White River Junction-based architect Jay Barrett also called on the town to construct a new, energy efficient town hall and maintain Whitney Hall for use as an expanded library.
The cost of new emergency services facility alone could top $4.1 million, while a new town hall would likely cost $2.6 million, Barrett told about 40 people gathered at the Enfield Community Building to hear a progress report of his study, which began last fall.
“This town has to recognize that it needs to construct a suitable, 21st century emergency services building,” Barrett said, adding the same is true of town offices.
Whitney Hall, which now houses town offices, the library and Shaker Bridge Theater, is “a very very good building that we were actually very impressed with,” Barrett said.
However, splitting it into three doesn’t fully serve either the library or municipal officials who work there, he said. The arrangement means the planning office is housed out of the public works facility across town, and librarians have to squeeze programs in a small space.
Meanwhile, the fire and ambulance departments have outgrown stations on Route 4A, Union and Depot streets, Barrett said.
The architect said a new municipal building could be built onto the backside of Whitney Hall, which would require either the move or demolition of the existing police station next door.
Another option floated was the idea of building a two-story town hall at the corner of Huse Park next to the community building. In that scenario, the police facility would be repurposed for the recreation department.
Barrett also displayed a rendering of that a new emergency services building could look like. The 140-by-80-foot structure would have five bays capable of allowing fire trucks and ambulances in and out, an adjoining police station and shared administrative and training space between the two.
“You’ve got slots for 10 vehicles. Each vehicle could get in or out without moving another vehicle,” he said of the design, which was meant to emulate the Hanover’s public safety facility.
Barrett proposed putting the building where Brownie’s Auto Parts now stands on Route 4. The land, situated between the Enfield Village School and Great View Roller Skating rink, is for sale, he added.
“I think this has everything going for it and nothing going against it, other than money,” Barrett said.
The town should then keep Whitney Hall and spend $1.5 million to expand the Enfield Public Library, which has sought its own building for nearly a decade, he recommended.
Library Trustees in 2008 unveiled plans for a $3.2 million building to be located behind the town hall.
However, they largely abandoned those plans in 2016, when it became apparent that taxpayers wouldn’t support a $2.5 million bond for the project.
At the time, they had raised just under $1 million in donations.
Barrett’s recommendations come alongside a newly released report finds that many of Enfield’s municipal buildings are in “good” condition and would require minor repairs to continue serving townspeople.
For instance, Whitney Hall should be repointed and weatherized, while the Union Street Fire Station should have its deteriorating brick chimney removed, according to Wilder-based engineer Timothy Schaal.
Schaal was hired by Barrett to analyze the structural integrity of 11 town buildings, which he visited in October and December.
Of those buildings, only two are considered in either “poor” or “extremely poor” condition — the Enfield Town House and the garage at 7 Shedd St.
“Speaking of things to throw away,” Barrett joked, while showing people a slide of the garage.
The Town House, which was built in 1845 on what is now Route 4A, is “unsafe for occupancy” because of extensive rot, mold and problems with the foundation, Schaal wrote.
Meanwhile, the garage is unsafe because of cracks found throughout the building, roof leaks and rotting, he wrote. The garage, which were once used by public works, now houses equipment for the fire department.
Town Manager Ryan Aylesworth said on Monday that Barrett’s final report will be complete in the next few weeks. He said it’s likely the town will then form either a committee or a working group to review the proposals and make recommendations ahead of Town Meeting next March.
“This really is the beginning of our journey, not the end,” he said.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.
Correction
An architect evaluating Enfield’s municipal buildings has floated the idea of building a new town hall at the corner of Huse Park. An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of the park.