Old Town Hall Committee – Town Report 2008

The charge of our committee is to determine what should be done with the Old Town Hall Property, make recommendations to the board of selectmen and then follow through on those recommendations. Our first year was spent gathering the information and opinions necessary for us to make those recommendations. 

Our first goal was to hold a design charrette to jump start the process.  A design charrette is a period of intensive work involving both professionals and local citizens as they explore potential solutions to a design issue.

The OTHC proposed a warrant article in 2007 to raise $35,000 to hire a team of professionals for the purpose of conducting a design charrette and completing a property survey.

We also applied to Plan NH for a grant to conduct a charrette in Sunapee.

Plan NH is an organization whose members include professional planners, engineers, architects, landscape designers, bankers, builders. Each year Plan NH chooses three municipalities to conduct a charrette pro bono.

Our application was successful, resulting in $29,000 of savings out of the $35,000 acquired on the 2007 warrant.

The expended funds were for the land survey and other expenses related to hosting the charrette.

The charrette was held on June 22^nd and 23rd at the Knowlton House, the use of which was donated. Additional food and supplies were donated by several local businesses.

A website was created, (www.sunapeeoldtownhall.org ), to act as a portal of information.

Included on the website were an opinion survey and a page for discussion to get the citizens opinions on the fate of the property.

To add to the polling, opinion boxes were distributed around town and questions were added to the Planning Boards master plan survey.  

A good crowd attended the charrette and many ideas were discussed.  A report summarizing the results of the charrette was presented to the board of selectman on August 13. The charrette report is available to everybody online at the OTHC website or at the town office.

Based on the input gathered at the charrette, and the responses to multiple survey questions, the Old Town Hall Committee voted at the August 21st meeting to recommend that the Old Town Hall be preserved and rehabilitated.

The OTHC also recommended that the Select Board should take steps to implement the Harbor Loop Plan through appropriate town departments and committees.

The OTHC requested the selectmen’s permission to;

¨      Explore and make applications for any grants to fund the needs of the Old Town Hall. 

¨      Explore private/public partnership possibilities

¨      Pursue the application process for state and/or federal historical registration of the Old Town Hall, the Livery Building. 

¨      To put a warrant article on the 2008 ballot authorizing the creation of a generic capital reserve fund, utilizing the balance remaining from the funds raised for the charrette on the 2007 ballot.

In September the OTHC held a joint meeting with the Library Building Committee to assess the proposed location for a future library on the lot adjacent to the Old Town Hall and discuss how the two committees could coordinate efforts. The Old Town Hall building does not meet the requirements to become a library, but a portion of it may be appropriate for a future use that could offset some needs proposed in the current library plan.  The Old Town Hall Committee voted to support the proposed location for the library and will continue to have cooperative dialogue with the Library Building Committee in the future.

In 2008 the Old Town Hall Committee will follow through on steps toward historical registry and pursuit of grants. The OTHC  also submitted an article for the 2008 ballot to authorize use of the remaining funds raised in 2007 to be used to establish a capital reserve fund.

Respectfully Submitted,

Kevin Rickard

Download & Listen to an interview with Herb Sawyer

Recorded January 15, 1968

By Mr. Dorington

Oral History Courtesy of the Sunapee, NH  Historical Society

To download - Right click your mouse on the link and select the "save target as" option

Joint Meeting—OTH Committee & Library Building Committee 07on

 On Wednesday, September 25, the Sunapee Old Town Hall Committee and the Library Building Committee held a joint meeting to view plans for a possible site for the new library.  Chris Lizotte, SMP, came to present three options for placing the library on the property adjacent to the Old Town Hall.

 Plan number one suggests attaching the library to the Old Town Hall and using a portion of the building for various library functions such as meeting space, shared bathroom facilities and elevator/stairs.  Parking spaces would be provided on the site of the LSPA building and on the street.

 A second option is to build the library, as a freestanding building, on the LSPA property with a possible connect to the Old Town Hall.  Parking would be more of a problem if this option would be selected, but could be worked out.

 The third plan suggests rebuilding the Old Town Hall to resemble the present structure, as a library, and adding a wing to accommodate the entire necessary library needs. 

 Any of these plans would require on street parking and extensive storm drainage control.  It is also prudent to follow the suggestion of the Plan NH charrette team to design a driving loop for the harbor area.  Execution of this plan has already been turned over to the proper town agencies by the Select Board for study and consideration.

 After the presentation there was a lengthy discussion considering all of the possibilities and the attendant pros and cons of each option, public meeting space is one major consideration.  No conclusions have been drawn.  Each group will now meet to consider the options and meet again in joint session to review its separate options.