Proposal to Rehabilitate the Village Hall of Waverly, NY

Presented by the Village Hall CommitteeMary Schmieg Don Merrill, Village HistorianBob Hoppe Grady Updyke, Chief of Police Joe Viselli Leon Thomas, Former MayorCraig Maury Todd Williams, Trustee and Chairman

Distinguished Guests

• Lori Moore, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

• Tania Werbizky, Preservation League of New York• Doug Barton, Tioga County Economic Development• Teresa Saraceno, Empire Zone Coordinator• Thomas O’Mara, State Assemblyman• Letters of support

– Randy Crawford, Crawford and Stearns– Jane De Hawkhurst, Preservation Association of the Southern

Tier

History of the Building

• Constructed in 1892• Designed by Pierce

and Bickford, Architects of Elmira

• Home of the Fire Department (until 1997)

• Only home of Court and Police Department

History of maintenance to the building

• 1921 – last comprehensive renovation

• 1960’s Truck Bay reinforced with concrete

• 1980’s - selective repointing of bricks using incompatible mortar

• 1990’s – Tom Mullen’s mayorship – storm windows installed

• 2005 – Roof replaced

History of work by Village Hall Committee

• Formed in early 2003 By Mayor Martin although work began earlier

• Chaired by Trustee Barb Rockett until her death in 2007

• Early 2003 - Achieved the honor of being listed on the National Register of Historic Places

History of work by Village Hall Committee

• Worked to conduct the studies necessary to determine that the building is mechanically and structurally sound and worth rehabilitating– 2000 Building Study for Waverly Village Hall Renovation - Delta

Engineering– 2001 Conceptual Rehabilitation and Reuse Plan – Crawford and

Stearns– 2004 Existing Building Observation – Hunt Engineers– 2005 Historic Waverly Village Hall Reuse Plan – Crawford and

Stearns– 2006 Limited Assessment of Mechanical and Plumbing - Taitem

Engineers– 2006 Asbestos Inspection – 2007 Structural Assessment by Hunt Engineers– 2008 Financial Feasibility Study by Murray Gould, Port City

Preservation

• Worked to acquire grants– 2003 State Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) through Office of

Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for $32,500 for Roof – completed in 2005

– 2004 EPF grant for $150,000 for exterior work to brick, façade, windows, – zero money spent after 3 years

– 2007 EPF grant for $246,000 denied – scored 65, winning grants received scores of 70, 71, and 73

– 2008 EPF grant for $200,000 for replacement of furnace and windows – awaiting announcement from OPRHP

– 2008 Save America’s Treasures – Federal grant for $200,000 through Maurice Hinchey’s office for electrical work – awaiting announcement

– 2008 Lowes’ Foundation Grant for $25,000 – denied because of municipality status

• Note on Grant Covenant – Because we have accepted and used state grant funds, we are under obligation to own, maintain and operate the building for 20 years. Failure to do this will result in the Village’s repayment of state funds.

History of work by Village Hall Committee

Current Situation

• New York State is very interested in our project and are supportive through grants and consultation

• Public and Private preservation groups are interested in seeing the project move forward

• We have collaborated with Randy Crawford of Crawford & Stearns, an eminent architect and preservation planner known state-wide

• A considerable amount of money has been invested in preparatory work

• Every structural and engineering study has determined that the building is sound

Current Situation

• Every professional from outside Waverly who has come to visit says, “You have a beautiful downtown area that is architecturally significant. You need to preserve this element.” or “You can afford to renovate your Village Hall”

• Village Hall Committee is concerned that the Board of Trustees has not acted on any professional design proposals/costs or recommendations from the Committee and outside agencies despite acknowledgement that they are good ideas

Murray Gould’s visit May 29th, 2008

• Validated that the numbers reported by the Village Hall Committee are accurate

• “You run a very high risk of changing the climate of downtown” by moving the Village Hall

• “The Village owns the Village Hall and they have a fiduciary obligation to care and maintain this building as long as it is in your control.”

Why Village Hall remains functional

• New Roof in 2005• Durable Brick Construction• Open, adaptable floor plan• Combined with Annex there is more than

enough usable space (currently using about 60% of floor space)

• Stacked floors and small roof print is energy efficient

• We already own it• The Board of Trustees adopted a Downtown

Action Plan in 2005 that includes Village Hall

Village of Waverly Downtown Action Plan

• George R. Frantz and Associates• Unanimously adopted as Waverly’s Strategic

Plan on Oct 25, 2005• Goal 1 – “Build on existing building stock and

entrepreneur base to increase economic activity in downtown Waverly.”

• Goal 2 – “Preserve the historic architectural resources of downtown Waverly.”

• Goal 3 – Attract new retail and service customers to downtown Waverly by making it a more attractive place to live and work.”

The first proposal – 2001

• Renovate only the first floor

• Trustees requested a plan and figures for a full renovation

The full proposal - 2005

• Crawford & Stearns• $2 million• A good floor plan• Price estimate includes a thorough

renovation of the entire building• Police and Court staff have stated that the

plan is adequate and acceptable• This is not an affordable plan for Waverly

at this time

• First Floor Drawing– Large

Meeting Room

– Police Staff

The full proposal - 2005

• Second Floor Drawing– Courtroom

and associated offices

– Police Locker and Break Rooms

The full proposal - 2005

• Third Floor Drawing– Unallocated

space– Possible file

storage

The full proposal - 2005

• Basement Drawing– Police

storage– Mechanical,

Electrical and Elevator

The full proposal - 2005

The current proposal

• Do what we can afford to do with minimal disruption to services

• Phase 1 – Critical Infrastructure and The Truck Bay– Install New Electric Service Panel and First Floor

Wiring– Create large meeting room and handicap accessible

bathrooms out of Truck Bay– Replace truck bay openings with faux carriage door

walls faithful to the original doors on the fire house (50% match from NYS)

– Repoint brickwork on façade (50% match from NYS)• 15-20% of exterior surface

The current proposal

• Truck Bay

The current proposal

• Illustrate progress and intention on a public area of the building

• Create large, usable public space

• Free up office space in Annex for temporary relocation of offices

• Increase security in Annex through reduced through traffic

• Affordable

• Costs– Phase 1 cost – less than $180,000– Grant money available – $1 million

(estimated)– Private Donations (room dedications, small

sums)– In kind services (work of volunteers and

village employees)• Some Phase 1 work has already been pledged

– Budgeting in a Capital Reserve Account

The current proposal

Grants Available

• Combination of REAP Zone, Empire Zone, Historic Register make Village Hall a selective candidate for many grants– 2008 NYS SHPO EPF $200k - submitted– 2008 Save America’s Treasures $200k -

submitted– CDBG (Handicap Accessibility) $150k– REAP $100k– NYS Legislative Grant $150k– Homeland Security $50k

Raising Taxes

• If the Village budgets $70,000 per year for the next 7 years specifically for renovation of the Village Hall the work will be completed.– This has been recommended to Mayor McDuffee by Trustee

Williams for both annual budgets that he has overseen – Last year the annual budget was increased by $125,000 and

taxes increased 1.3%• There is no need for a bond• There is no lump sum• If this process was initiated in 2001, when the village

recognized the need for action, the work would be completed by now

• This is a realistic approach considering the economy of Waverly and the nation

• Village Hall has stood in its place for 100+ years– Despite neglect in recent decades it is still in very

good shape– Most criticisms of the building stem from neglect and

are not related to the building’s construction or usefulness

– Last major renovation was in 1921• Repointed bricks• Upgraded electric

– Roof was replaced in 2005

Looking forward for the next 30 yearsDurability

• Parking is available– Aside from large meetings, there is always parking on

the block• Any concerns over ample parking are village

wide and need to be addressed by the village• Keeping or moving Village Hall will not affect the

availability of parking• Having a parking problem is a good indicator

that economic development is possible in downtown Waverly– Trustee Williams has begun reaching out to local

experts for solutions

Looking forward for the next 30 yearsParking

Looking forward for the next 30 yearsConsolidation

• New York State is advocating that small communities consolidate to reduce costs

• There will always be a municipal presence in Waverly because we are a population center

• We will not grow very much because almost all of our land is developed

• Want to avoid overextending ourselves

Looking forward for the next 30 yearsShared Services - Court

• Court would be suitable and professionally laid out to meet all current judicial requirements– Large floor space for judge, clerk, involved

parties, lawyers and general public– Private judge chambers– Private holding/interrogation room for minors– Jail cell

• Police Department would likely still have a presence downtown because we are the population center of the town– Holding cell– Radio antennas in place– Secure officer and chief offices

Looking forward for the next 30 yearsShared Services - Police

• The most important consideration• Maintenance costs are low for brick buildings, it’s the

building costs that deter new brick construction• High thermal mass of brick moderates the temperatures

inside• Stacked floors and small roof print reduces heating

losses• Brick is a durable, insulating, weatherproof material• Village Hall does not need much, but it needs it badly

Looking forward for the next 30 yearsOperating and Maintenance Costs

Conclusion

• This is an affordable project – The real costs to taxpayers will be smaller than

previously, and often falsely, reported– Village Hall Committee will continue to search out and

apply for every grant that would reduce the local cost• This is a project that will reinvigorate pride in

Waverly and pull the community together• The Village needs to illustrate their own

commitment in the Economic Redevelopment of downtown

• An effective renovation of the Village Hall will serve our needs for many, many years