Town office in Chester getting face-lift

CHESTER – Except for some painting and insulation installation, as much as $40,000 in renovations to the Marianne Municipal Building are just about finished, town officials said Wednesday.

Tax Collector and Treasurer Jennifer Vachon and Town Clerk Molly Snowdale were themselves painting the town office public meeting room shades of brown Wednesday as volunteers, although Vachon’s husband, Tom, has been the primary contractor.

They hope to finish the job within a month or so.

“The walls were dirty and pretty much white colored. They just needed a makeover, basically,” Snowdale said Wednesday.

“Right now we don’t have it halfway painted, and it’s already improved a lot. The walls look pretty new. They were a cream color and they had black marks where people have kicked them. We went with a darker color, so hopefully the marks won’t show up so badly.”

Begun in 2005, work on the building off Route 116 has proceeded fitfully, with a new heating system, rugs and a large window among the improvements. Town selectmen voted to do the work to help the town’s workers and improve the town’s ability to conduct business efficiently, First Selectman Temple Ireland said.

“We didn’t have a town office to begin with,” Ireland said. “We actually did most of the renovation last year.”

The building is a former schoolhouse and a dental office, he said.

“The building is pretty old, and it needed to be updated,” Jennifer Vachon said. “They figured that if we are having an office here now, it should be more presentable.”

Vachon and Snowdale are reviewing prices for insulation installation. They hope to have all renovations finished by the town meeting and election on March 19, they said.

“I think [Tom Vachon] has done a fabulous job,” Selectman Joe Nesin said. “It has just taken a little bit longer to do the finishing touches on it. That’s all we are waiting for now.”