A groundbreaking ceremony will be held September 28 at 10 a.m. at the Hamlin Town Hall complex to kick off the renovation of a recreation storage building into a new town justice court. Actual construction will begin October 1.

The storage building, which sits to the northeast of the town hall, will be turned into a 2,200 square feet court house with one court room, two conference rooms, a judge's office and clerk's office.

Total cost of the project is estimated at $133,000, according to Hamlin Supervisor Austin Warner. Hamlin received a $50,000 community enhancement grant through Senator George Maziarz for the project. The town has also set aside $60,000 during the last two budget years ($30,000 each year). The town can come up with the remaining $23,000 without impacting taxes, Warner said.

Currently the town court is housed within the 1923 town hall building. A Master Plan Committee has been studying the 16 properties owned by Hamlin to determine their best future use, Warner said, and prioritizing the work that needs to be done on them.

Hamlin's court system was cramped in its existing space, Warner said. The town has two justices and two clerks. Town court is held on Wednesday nights, with district attorney night an additional evening every other week. Once in the new building, justices might consider adding a day court to the schedule, Warner said.

The Master Plan Committee, chaired by Councilman Ed Evans, is studying how best to use the town hall space that will be vacated by the court.

Recreation storage will be moved into a Quonset hut. Other updates at the town hall complex include expanded parking, the removal of the old tennis courts to make room for new tennis courts and a volleyball court. Officials are also looking at the traffic flow through the town hall parking lot - traffic has been heavier since the installation of an ATM.

Construction of the new town court is expected to be complete by mid-December, Warner said. At that time the town will likely hold a ribbon cutting ceremony.