Orono eyes old site for new building

ORONO — Town officials soon will know whether their first choice of a site for the new municipal building can be granted by architects reviewing the location.

Moore-Weinrich Architects of Brunswick recently were hired by town officials to conduct a review of the current site for the proposed new municipal building. After studying several potential locations, town officials decided that the current site, though housing an inferior building, probably offered the greatest benefits because of its central locale.

“Basically, we are just getting started to see if he believes we can build on that site,” Town Manager Bruce Locke said of the feasibility study, which he said should be completed in about seven weeks.

The preliminary project is divided into two phases, with the first including a program analysis, existing building survey, and site analysis. The cost of Phase 1 is not to exceed $10,680, according to the fee proposal.

If the town decides to hire Moore-Weinrich to complete Phase 2, the architects will draft design proposals of the project at a cost not to exceed $22,850. A scale model of the project could add $4,000.

The Phase 1 project will include interviews with employees, studies of the existing building and site, a traffic study, and a review of other factors in an attempt to determine whether a new building can be constructed at the Main Street location.

Talk of the new building is nothing new, and has been continuing almost since the existing structure was built in the early 1960s.

The problems with the current building are numerous: the grade leading from Main Street to the barns of the Fire Department is too steep; the floor of the building is inadequate; and space is extremely tight.

The lack of space has been an issue for years. A June 1987 study reported that although the Fire Department needed 14,000 square feet, it has less than 5,000. The town office, with 2,000 square feet, should have about 7,000.

Also, the 1969 Comprehensive Plan reported that the town was “out of space.”

In addition, as the Fire Department upgrades its equipment with larger and heavier trucks, it places another burden on the floor.