By Melanie Lekocevic
Capital Region Independent Media
COEYMANS — The town has purchased the Grace United Methodist Church building for $450,000 for use as a new town hall.
The purchase completes a drawn-out process to come up with a solution to the question of what should be done with the town hall.
The current town hall building, located at 18 Russell Ave., is plagued with mold and other structural problems. Town council members have long said the building is outdated and in need of extensive renovations, and is too small for the town’s current and future needs.
Under the resolution adopted at the board’s Nov. 20 meeting, the current building 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 offices, and lack of accessibility to public meeting areas and office locations.”
For about two years, town officials have considered various solutions. Last year, the board voted to demolish the current town hall and build a new structure on the same property for up to $7 million, but a petition signed by local residents forced a permissive referendum. The issue was put on the ballot in November 2022 and was rejected by the voters.
Other options considered for the town hall have included renovating the current building and buying an existing structure to relocate to.
Grace United Methodist Church and its one outbuilding include 14,000 square feet of structure space sitting on 3.1 acres, which town officials have said is sufficient for the town hall.
When the church went up for sale earlier this year, town officials checked it out and determined the building, located at 16 Hillcrest Drive, would fit the bill.
A public hearing was held Sept. 14 to gauge public reaction to the plan, and local residents came down on both sides of the issue.
Numerous residents in the neighborhood expressed concern that relocating the town hall to Hillcrest Drive would change the character of the neighborhood and would bring excessive traffic to the area.
At the public hearing the town board estimated the building would need roughly $4 million in renovations.
The new town hall will house all town offices including the town supervisor’s office, the town clerk’s office, the building department, police department, assessor’s office and the town court, according to the resolution adopted last week.
The original asking price for the building and property was $549,000. The town negotiated the price down to $425,000, and then added another $25,000 to pay for appliances in the building, bringing the final purchase price to $450,000.
Because the purchase is being made with the town’s surplus funds, it is not subject to another permissive referendum, and is a permitted use under the current zoning regulations, according to the resolution.
The motion to adopt the resolution permitting the town’s purchase of the property was seconded by Town Councilwoman Linda Bruno and approved unanimously by the town council.
