By Melanie Lekocevic
Capital Region Independent Media
COEYMANS — The town is expected to close on the purchase of a new town hall building in mid-September.
Contracts are being finalized for the purchase of the former Community Care building on Route 9W and the closing is expected around Sept. 15, town officials said at the Aug. 8 meeting of the town board.
“The contract is going back and forth, and MJ [Engineering] is going to do some measurements — they still have the two sketches that they want to do and present to us — so it is moving right along,” Donnelly said at the August meeting.
The resolution approving the purchase was adopted unanimously by the town council at its July 25 meeting for $994,000.
The former medical office building and adjacent structures, including a garage, will be transformed into a new town hall, addressing an issue that has plagued the town for several years.
According to town officials, the current town hall building is old and has outlived its useful life. The structure has mold issues and other structural problems that would be pricey to repair, including the building’s failure to comply with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
“The town hall municipal office space currently being utilized at 18 Russell Ave., Ravena, NY, in its current condition is inadequate to serve the current and future needs of the town due in part to the age and condition of the building, inadequate space for all of the town’s offices, and lack of accessibility to public meeting areas and office locations,” the resolution to purchase the new property reads.
The former town board originally approved the purchase of the Grace United Methodist Church property on Hillcrest Drive for conversion into a new town hall, but in March of this year town officials reconsidered the costs to renovate the building — estimated at approximately $5 million — along with other issues including its location in a residential area, and backed out of the deal.
“The current town board determined upon further review that the purchase was not in the best interest of the town in light of the location of that site and the needs and conditions of the property’s existing structures,” according to the town resolution.
When the Community Care medical offices closed in May, that building came on the market and was viewed by town officials as attractive due to its lower price, convenient location on Route 9W, and its physical condition.
The property includes roughly 4,200 square feet of existing office space and additional garage and storage facilities.
The deal for the $994,000 property is not subject to permissive referendum because it will be purchased with surplus funds, according to the resolution.
