set for completion by year's end Construction has begun at the site of the Town of Riga's new, 12,000-square-foot municipal building on Buffalo Road, and officials said it could be completed as soon as November 1. "Realistically, we hope to start the new year in the building," said Town Councilman Robert Ottley, who has been involved in planning the new building for years. Town crews are doing much of the site work themselves, and work is about a week to 10 days behind schedule because of the late start due to weather, Ottley said. He said the contracts have been awarded, however, and the concrete footings have begun to be poured. "I'm sure it will go fast once the weather cooperates," Ottley said. The new building has been a long time coming. "Several years," Ottley said. "We looked at several locations, with the village, without the village …" he said, referring to the fact that the town had discussed the possibility of building one, shared building with the Village of Churchville. Ottley said there has been a benefit to the lengthy planning process. "You spend a lot of time looking at what your needs are," he said, and that includes anticipating future needs. "This building is being constructed to last many years, and the facilities themselves will serve the town for many, many years." The masonry building is designed in a V-shape, with two wings coming off a center lobby at an angle. The town offices, including the recreation department, will occupy one wing, along with some small, all-purpose rooms, for meetings or classes put on by the Town of Riga. The other wing will house the Riga Town Court, and will include offices and a large, air-conditioned courtroom with a sound-system. Also in that wing, the town will lease office space to the New York State Police. The building will share a parking lot with the Harvey C. Noone American Legion, which is adjacent to the site. "It's great that we didn't have to build a big parking lot for each (facility)," Ottley said. Ottley said the town board is thankful for the agreement made with the American Legion, which gave the town the land to build on. "The town is assuming a few years of lawn maintenance, and the parking lot maintenance for the legion," Ottley said, among other concessions. "This is beneficial to the town taxpayers, as well as the legion members." The cost of the building is projected at $2.2 million, and Ottley said the town board does not expect there to be any impact on tax rates. "We have put money away over the years for a new building, so we have reserve funds and some surplus," he said. He said there would be some short-term borrowing as well. Ottley said town officials and employees are excited about the new building. "They're excited about having a facility where offices are located better than today. It will be easier for the public to come in and find what they need," he said. The Town of Riga owns the buildings it currently occupies, 8-12 South Main Street in the village. "It's on our agenda for this summer," Ottley said, "to start to gather some input from people for what to do with those buildings." |
