Woodbury boards approve a municipal building for town and village offices
By Daniel Stimpfle
HIGHLAND MILLS — Plans to create a new municipal building received unanimous approval last Monday night from Woodbury’s Town and Village boards as a solution to numerous problems facing several municipal buildings.
The proposed structure, or community center, is intended to replace several existing municipal structures in Woodbury, including the Woodbury Police Headquarters, Town Hall and the Senior Center. All are overcrowded, falling apart or in need of substantial upgrades to comply with state law.
The proposed two-story, 35,000-square foot structure will be located on unoccupied land adjacent to the Highland Mills firehouse.
It will also include front and rear parking and access points to allow for ease of access to the various departments within the building.
At the meeting, Town Supervisor David Sutz said that bonds will initially be used to finance the project while other options for paying the costs of construction are currently under consideration.
Organizers are looking into using a combination of grants, funds from departments such as the Police Department and tax money received from on-going construction projects in the area.
The court in particular has presented a safety concern for many because its small space.
When speaking about the dangers posed by such cramped conditions, Sutz said that “convicts in handcuffs and shackles have to walk through the public” during court.
In addition, access to the court is hindered by a steep stairway which is often inaccessible to seniors.
Others at the meeting have pointed out that the second floor of Town Hall is getting closer to becoming structurally unsound.
“These poles (support beams in place in the current town hall’s meeting area) are here because the court is crashing down on us,” said Town and Village Clerk Desiree Potvin. “You can see the sag in the ceiling when we replace these tiles (ceiling tiles).”
The new police headquarters will also introduce many new safety features; these include a sally port for moving prisoners in safety and a secure elevator to transport prisoners to the courthouse above.
Sharing the first floor of the community center will be a new senior center that would include a large meeting room with a maximum capacity of 250 people, a media room, art room, game room, shared conference room, administration room and a kitchenette.
There is no official date set for construction to begin but Woodbury officials said they are hopeful that shovels will hit the dirt within a year.