The Need For Office Space

To the Editor:

I have been a resident of Newtown for the past 18 years. I have gone through the school system and now I am an employee of the Town of Newtown. For the past few months, I have been reading the letters to the editor as well as on insidenewtown.com from residents, protesting the new town hall. I feel that some of the residents are not properly informed about the issues surrounding this move, so I would like to share some of the lesser-known facts.

One of the main reasons for the new town hall is the fact that we are leasing the Kendro building on Peck’s Lane, which is currently for sale. These offices have been moved five times since the early 1980s. The town offices are also split into different buildings throughout Newtown. If a resident or contractor needs to obtain a building permit, first they must go to the Building Department on Peck’s Lane, then travel to Edmond Town Hall to have sign-offs at the assessor’s and [tax] collector’s offices, then return to the Kendro building. This frustrates them because of the timely process they must go through.

Another reason is that of adequate space. When Mary Hawley first deeded the Edmond Town Hall to the town, there were less than 5,000 residents. Now, there are approximately 27,000 residents and town offices only comprise 7,000 square feet at Edmond Town Hall. While the school buildings have expanded to meet the needs of Newtown students, the town offices have not followed suit. Because of this lack of storage space, the offices have to utilize any extra space for storage boxes, which in turned leads to a potential fire hazard. In the collector’s, assessor’s, and town clerk offices, there is a shortage of counter space. The vault is filled to its capacity, and employees have to move boxes just to be able to walk to their space and find what they need. Title searchers and attorneys frequently visit the town clerk’s office, and are hampered by the lack of ample room to work. In addition to this, the town clerk’s vault is now at its capacity.

Another issue that concerns employees is the lack of a designated break room. Some employees have to sit in the lobby of the town hall if they chose not to leave for lunch, which results in an unprofessional look for any town hall. While the movie theater is a great addition to the town hall, there is a lack of parking which frustrates the employees and taxpayers during tax season.

In addition to these problems, there is mold growing behind an employee’s desk who has severe asthma. There is water damage on the ceilings above several desks. One employee had to vacate her office after flooding from a broken pipe. Is this a safe environment for employees to work in, let alone residents to visit on a day-to-day basis?

I agree with people when they say that the Edmond Town Hall is a beautiful and historical building, full of charm, but it isn’t suitable for the growing needs to this community. Given the support to remediate the problems of the town hall by the Board of Managers, the facts still remain that this is a 76-year-old building. By renovating a town-owned building at Fairfield Hills, we will be moving the technology department out for the middle school, and moving the schools’ Building and Grounds Supervisor Department out of the high school, freeing up space in both of these schools.

I am not asking for people to write to tell me there are other problems that the town needs to deal with before addressing the need for a new town hall. I am simply pointing out that before the residents complain about the lack of need for a new town hall, think of the town workers, what conditions they work in, and for the needs of Newtown’s residents for a more efficient and thus effective municipal town hall.

Sincerely

Tiffany Wolfe and the Employees of Edmond Town Hall

45 Main Street, Newtown                                                June 13, 2007