Upton Town Hall Renovation Committee – FAQs
February 2012
What is the historical significance of Upton Town Hall?
The building was originally built in 1882-8. It is one of theoldest examples of a wood framed building with brick veneer in Massachusetts. The architects of the building were Elbridge Boyden & Son who also designed Mechanics Hall in Worcester.
The Town Hall is listed on the Massachusetts Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places for architectural and historical significance.
What renovations were made to the Town Hall?
From historical records, the following renovations were made:
· In 1912 the proscenium arch above the stage and ceiling alterations designed by architect Robert Allen Cook from Milford were made.
· Following the great hurricane of 1938, the roof was reroofed with slate shingles.
· In 1940 repairs to the main hall arch truss frames designed by engineers J. R. Worcester & Co from Boston, Massachusetts were performed.
· In 1955, the present dropped ceiling was added in the Main Hall.
· In 1965, basement entries and offices were added to the southeast and northeast corners of the building. These entries provided access to the Police Dept and Treasurer/Collector’s office. Also, the vault currently located in the Town Clerk’s office was added sometime after 1965.
How has the use of the Town Hall changed over the years?
· The Town Hall was used as temporary classrooms after fire destroyed the Upton High School in 1944.
· The Town Library was originally located in what is now the Town Manager’s office
· From the 1950s through 1980s the Police Station, complete with two jail cells, was located in the basement of the building. A pistol range was also located in the basement.
. The Main Hall is used for many sporting events such as basketball and volleyball.
. The Main Hall has hosted numberous plays and musical events
· Annual and special Town Meetings
· Town Depts. and Boards
· Numerous public and private gatherings.
Today, there are 5 full-time and 12 part-time employees who work in the building. The following town departments are located in Town Hall:
- Town Clerk
- Board of Selectmen
- Town Manager
- Board of Assessors
- Treasurer / Collector
- Town Accountant
- Veteran’s Agent
- Planning Board
- Conservation Commission
- UCTV Studio
- Archival Storage
In addition, the following groups routinely use the building:
- Women’s Basketball
- Upton Youth Club Basketball
- Mendon-Upton Basketball
- Volleyball
- Boy Scouts
- Upton Women’s Club fairs
What renovations have been made to the Town Hall more recently?
No significant renovations have been made to the building in the last 50 years. The town has made several attempts to renovate the Town Hall. Most recently, in 2008 the Board of Selectmen (BoS) requested Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds from the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) to prepare a concept plan for major renovations including addition of an elevator and other changes to make the building compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
This request was reviewed by the CPC and eventually the BoS reduced the scope to focus on replacing the windows in the main hall as a first step. A Window Replacement Committee was formed, an architect was hired to help with the project, and energy-efficient replacement windows were selected. At the last minute, the committee discovered that the Town Hall had a “preservation restriction agreement” that essentially requires approval from the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) before any major renovations to the building can be performed. The MHC did not approve of the proposed window replacements selected by the committee.
What is the MHC and what is their role?
“The continuing presence of historic properties in Massachusetts immeasurably enhances the quality of our lives; they help to establish our sense of place and to define the very character of our communities. To meet the challenge of preserving this important heritage, the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) was established by the legislature in 1963 (MGL Ch. 9 Sections 27-32 enabling legislation) to identify, evaluate, and protect important historical and archaeological assets of the Commonwealth.
The Commission consists of 17 members appointed from various disciplines who serve as the State Review Board for state and federal preservation programs. The Commission is chaired by Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin.
The professional staff of the Commission includes historians, architects, archaeologists, geographers, and preservation planners. The state's preservation programs are administered through MHC's Preservation Planning, Grants, and Technical Services Divisions.”
What is a preservation restriction agreement?
“Preservation Restrictions (defined in MGL Ch. 184 Sections 31-33) protect historic and archaeological properties from changes that may be inappropriate. A Preservation Restriction (easement) on a property restricts present and future owners from altering a specified portion of that building, structure, or site. A restriction can run for a few years or in perpetuity and may be included as part of the property deed. Preservation restrictions can be donated or purchased by a government body or private preservation organization and are enforced by the holder of the restriction.”
In essence, this restriction provides the MHC with the legal authority to review and approve any major alterations proposed for the building. The form of the preservation restriction agreement that the Town has with the MHC is an in perpetuity agreement and has been included with the deed to the building.
When did the Town agree to a preservation restriction and what does it include?
In the late 1990’s, the roof of the Town Hall needed extensive repairs. At the time, the Town did not have funds to cover the cost of this repair. The BoS determined that accepting a preservation grant from the MHC would enable the repairs to be performed at no cost to the town.
In return for providing the Town with $100,000 for the roof repairs, the MHC created a preservation restriction agreement << link to agreement >> which the Town accepted in April 1998.
What does the preservation restriction agreement include?
In the agreement << link to agreement >>, the MHC has defined what is meant by minor alterations, which do not require MHC approval and what constitutes major changes, which do require MHC approval.
Major changes include such things as creating new openings in existing walls, removing or altering stylistic features, upgrading HVAC systems that result in removal of substantial quantities of original plaster, etc.
Does the preservation restriction agreement mean that the building can’t be renovated?
No. What it means is that the renovation must be done in a historically sensitive way and is subject to review and approval by MHC. In fact, the preservation agreement states:
“Changes classified as major alterations are/not necessarily unacceptable. Under the preservation restriction such changes must be reviewed by the MHC and their impact on the historic integrity of the premise assessed.
It is the responsibility of the property owner to notify the MHC in writing when any major alterations are contemplated. Substantial alterations may necessitate review of plans and specifications.
The intent of the preservation restriction is to enable the Commission to review proposed alterations and assess their impact on the integrity of the structure, not to preclude future change. MHC staff will attempt to work with property owners to develop mutually satisfactory solutions, which are in the best interests of the property.”
What role does the MHC have with regard to renovating the Town Hall?
The MHC must approve any proposed renovations to the Town Hall.
When was the Town Hall Renovation Committee formed?
The Town Hall Renovation Committee was formed at the request of the BoS in 2009.
Who are the members of the committee?
The current members are:
Kelly McElreath - Chairperson
Steve Rakitin – Secretary
Michelle Goodwin - Member
Tim Tobin - Member
Mike Howell - Member
What role does the Upton Historical Commission have with regard to renovating Town Hall?
The Upton Historical Commission was actively involved in the concept phase of the renovation project. The Town Hall Renovation Committee has been in contact with the Upton Historical Commission to keep them appraised the committee’s progress.
What is the committee’s charter?
The original committee charter was as follows:
After the committee completed the concept phase, the BoS revised the committee’s charter to the following:
Why is the town considering renovating the Town Hall?
There are several reasons the BoS is considering renovating Town Hall:
1. The current building is not handicapped accessible and does not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). No public meetings are held at Town Hall because of this. Recently, the Town of Hopkinton was sued because several handicapped taxpayers could not enter their town hall. This lawsuit prompted the state commission against discrimination to pay them a visit. The end result was the state demanded that the town have a plan in place that shows how all town buildings will be brought into compliance with ADA requirements.
2. The building does not meet current building codes, does not have a centralized heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, has insufficient electrical service, and the server room is inadequate for the equipment we use today.
3. There are other town departments, such as the Board of Health, Code Enforcement and others that are currently located in the Knowlton-Risteen building – which is also not handicapped accessible.
4. The building is not energy efficient, which is why the thermostat in the main hall is set to 50 degrees during the winter. In 2008 the Selectmen voted to close Town Hall on Fridays to reduce energy costs.
5. The rest rooms are not handicapped accessible and are located on the lower level.
6. There are still several town boards and commissions that store public records in private homes because there is no file cabinet space available within the town hall.
7. There are town boards and commissions that have requested additional space for storing records, for meeting rooms, and for computer access. There is a significant amount of unused and under-used space that currently exists in the building. For example, there is about 2,000 square feet of space on the second floor (“Little Town Hall”) that hasn’t been used in many years.
8. Most town boards, departments, and commissions are forced to meet at the Police Station, Fire Station or High School because there are no meeting rooms in the town hall.
9. The office space is not efficient for today’s work conditions.
10. Most of the cost of renovation would be funded by CPA funds and not require additional taxes.
Why not build a new Town Hall?
The committee has been tasked with determining whether it would make sense to renovate the existing building or build a new building. Our initial focus has been on determining if renovating the existing building would even be feasible given the preservation restriction agreement.
If it is feasible to renovate the building, we would then need to know the cost. Once we had cost information, we could then compare that to the cost of building a new building. Based on this comparison, the committee would then make a recommendation to the BoS.
Note that costs associated with acquiring land, site preparation and building a new building would all have to be funded with additional taxes.
If it was determined that a new Town Hall should be built, what happens to the existing one?
Because of the preservation restriction the Town would still be required to keep and maintain the existing building. It is unlikely that we would find a buyer that would be able to adapt the building to their needs with the preservation restriction. We are in the process of estimating that the cost to continue to maintain the building.
What has the committee accomplished to date?
The committee has performed the following activities to date:
- Perform a Space Needs Assessment of all Town boards and committees
The committee, working with architect Gorman Richardson Lewis Architects (GRLA), created a Space Needs Assessment Survey that was sent to every town department, board, and commission. The purpose of this survey << link to survey questions >> was to gather the following information – current and five years out:
· Number of staff
· Office space (square feet)
· Meeting room space
· Filing cabinet space
· Computer workstation needs
· Location – any benefit to be co-located with other departments in town hall?
By August 2010, we gathered space needs information from 35 departments, boards, and commissions.
- Create a Concept Plan
In September 2010, the Space Needs information was reviewed by GRLA and based on this data, a Concept Plan was prepared. << Link to GRA Concept Plan >>
GRLA submitted the Concept Plan dated September 28, 2010 to MHC for their review. On November 15, 2010, Mr. Paul Holz from MHC toured the town hall. He then prepared a letter << link to MHC Letter >> stating that, based on the Concept Plan and his tour of the building, MHC would view this project favorably – but that MHC would need more detailed plans before they could give their final approval.
- Create Schematic Design Documents and prepare detailed cost information
Based on the favorable review from MHC, the committee determined that we needed to get to the next level of detail in order to get both accurate cost information and formal MHC approval. This next level of detail is called Schematic Design.
To do this, we would need additional funding to hire an architect to prepare the Schematic Design documents. We estimated this cost at $75,000. The committee determined that by spending this money, we would have the information needed to ultimately make a recommendation to the BoS to either continue with the renovation or investigate building a new building.
The committee presented this information to the CPC at their meeting on April 6, 2011. The CPC voted to provide the committee with the requested amount.
On May 5, 2011, the committee made the same request at the annual town meeting. The town meeting voted in favor of spending CPA funds for the purpose of creating the schematic design documents.
- Select architect and prepare Schematic Design Documents
In July 2011, a request for proposals was posted on behalf of the committee soliciting proposals from qualified architectural firms. 9 proposals were received and 4 firms were invited in for interviews. The committee selected McKinley Kaslow & Associates (MKA).
We are planning to meet with all departments that would potentially be affected by the proposed renovation project.
Once the plans are finalized, they will be submitted to MHC for their approval and detailed cost information will be generated. MKA has been working closely with MHC to ensure that we are not proposing anything that MHC would not approve.
What does the committee plan to do once the schematic design is approved?
Once we have schematic design plans that have been approved by MHC and we have detailed cost information, we will compare this to the cost of building a new building. The committee has been in contact with other towns that have gone through this process to benefit from their experiences. For example, we visited the Bellingham Town Hall which was a new building built about five years ago.
Once we have all of the information we need, we will evaluate the options (renovate or build new) and make recommendation to the BoS. We will then present the outcome at the Annual Town Meeting in May 2012.
Parking has always been in short supply around the building, what is the plan to address that?
The Committee has been reviewing several options to expand the parking from the present 12 spaces to 40. We expect that 40 spaces will accommodate most meetings that would take place in the building in the future.
What will the renovation cost?
With the schematic design almost complete, a professional cost estimating firm is preparing detailed costs estimates and will be available soon.
What will it cost to operate a renovated Town Hall?
We anticipate that the cost to operate the Town Hall will remain essentially the same as it is today since the renovations will greatly increase energy efficiency to accomodate the additional occupancy of the building.
Does this renovation meet our current and future space needs?
This renovation will allow us to continue to house the departments that are here today as well as bring Code Enforcement and Board of Health into the building. Office space and storage will also be provided to departments that are still operating out of their personal residences such as Community Preservation, etc. The Main Hall will also be preserved for use as a meeting space, for theatrical events and sports. The Main Hall was originally designed to be acoustically accurate for theater and music and as such it does not lend itself to use as office space. Our intent is that should the Town identify the need for more office space in the future, that the Main Hall be considered for that purpose. In doing so we project that the space needs of these departments will be met for many years to come.
Where will Town Departments be located during the renovation?
The most efficient way of renovating the building is to relocate all of the offices during this time. The renovations are extensive enough that it would be very difficult to continue to serve the public during construction. The Committee plans to relocate these offices at a location to be determined.
What is the time frame for this project?
The time frame for this project is approximately two years. The committee would ask the voters at the May 2012 annual town meeting to approve funding in order to complete design development, construction documents and bidding documents. The committee would use these funds to complete the planning and put the project out to bid before the May, 2013 annual town meeting. The hope would be to have a final construction cost for the voters at the May, 2013 annual town meeting and construction could begin if approved.
More Questions?
If you have a question that has not been answered above, please email Kelly McElreath at kmcelreath@upton.ma.us. The Town Hall Renovation committee will post updated information as it becomes available.
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