ENFIELD — Enfield voters will be asked to approve two multimillion-dollar renovation projects at this year’s Town Meeting on April 30.
The three-member Selectboard voted unanimously Tuesday night to recommend spending $5.8 million to renovate Whitney Hall, which is home to the town offices and Enfield Public Library. However, that amount will be offset by roughly $244,000 from the Library Building Capital Reserve Fund which means residents would need to approve borrowing the lion’s share of the cost at $5.5 million.
The second bond is for $7.26 million to build a public safety facility, which would include the town’s police, fire and EMS services.
“The town’s going to be looking at every way we can to find grants, ARPA funds, any grants we can get to reduce the costs,” Town Manager Ed Morris said in phone interview Wednesday. The Library Board of Trustees will also continue its fundraising efforts to offset the costs. “There are some historic preservation grants and we’ll have to see what the qualifications and grant guidelines are for the renovation and expansion,” Morris added about Whitney Hall, which was completed in 1901.
Using a 30-year bond with a 3% interest rate, Morris wrote in an email that the tax impact for the Whitney Hall project would be $48 annually per $100,000 of value, or $144 annually for a home assessed at $300,000. For the public safety facility, the rate would be $62 annually per $100,000 of value, or $186 annually for a home assessed at $300,000. If both articles were approved, that would be an increase of $110 each year per $100,000 of value, or $330 for home assessed at $300,000.
There is currently an article on the warrant asking voters to approve $150,000 in repairs to the historic Whitney Hall, but that won’t be necessary if the renovation plan passes, Morris said. Town officials are planning to host more information sessions before Town Meeting so residents can learn more about the proposals.
If the projects pass, Morris is hopeful the town could secure bonds by July to lock in interest rates. Town officials will work with Bread Loaf Corp., an architectural, planning and building firm that designed the project, “to see if there’s any place we can create a building we need for the future, but save some costs from the taxpayers.”
He added that Bread Loaf’s cost estimates included purchases such as furniture that will be evaluated.
“As we look at what we do have here in the town offices at least — and I’m sure the library will do the same — we’ll pull over and save everything we possibly can to reduce costs as much as possible,” Morris said.
That includes working with Bread Loaf to make the buildings energy efficient, which will lead to cost savings.
“For example Whitney Hall is currently very inefficient, and this project will greatly increase efficiency and will more than likely lower the overall cost of maintaining the building,” Morris wrote in a follow-up email.
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
