OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Town of Arkwright Supervisor Brian McAvoy called for an executive session near the end of the most recent Town Board meeting to discuss architectural proposals for a new Town Hall.

ARKWRIGHT — After years of discussion, the Town of Arkwright is planning a new Town Hall after all.

Rather than refurbishing the current building, the Town is planning to replace the outdated Town Hall by constructing a new building in the same location as the current structure.

The Town Board discussed architectural proposals in executive session at the end of its most recent meeting. The Board anticipates taking action on the matter at its February meeting.

The Town expects the new building to cost between $250-$300 per square foot.

“We can do it,” Town Supervisor Brian McAvoy said. “We can afford it.”

Once the architect is selected, the plans will be prepared for bids with the hope that the building project can begin sometime in 2025. The Town will decide where to hold court and regular meetings during construction at a later date.

By the time the Board takes action on the new building plans, the hope is the latest building project will be fully completed. The Highway Department addition is now operational, but there are still a few minor items remaining on the to-do list. Among the finishing touches include filling in a gap between the floor and the bottom of the door of the entryway and the need for more insulation in the entryway.

The Town hopes to store an AED in the entryway of the Highway Department addition, but cannot do so until the issues are fixed to bring the room to a suitable temperature. The Town received a grant to purchase an AED from the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation. The Town Board has not yet made its final payments regarding the Highway Department building project, but hopes to fully wrap things up in the coming weeks.

The Town is also looking to proceed with another building project — cladding of the masonry building — without the need of an architect. Town officials will reach out to suppliers with the intent of purchasing the materials necessary for the project. Once plans are finalized and the materials are purchased, the Town will seek bids from contractors to complete the work.

The Town is still awaiting its CHIPS money for highway improvements for the year, which has been delayed but is still anticipated in the coming weeks. McAvoy stated the Town still has adequate cash on hand while awaiting the funds. The Town Board approved the purchase of a Tow-Behind Road Groomer for the Highway Department at its recent meeting.

The Town Board also adjusted its purchasing policy for Town officials and adopted the New York State policy of anti-harassment. The annual stipend for the Board of Assessment Review and the Zoning Board of Appeals is $250. The Town Roster, which lists appointments and salaries, was also approved.

For the year of 2024, the Town Clerk’s Office issued one marriage certificate, 17 death certificates, 13 building permits and 103 dog licenses. A total of $2,525 was collected and turned over to the General Fund, with an additional $116 turned over to the state. The Town’s Justice Court collected $180 in fines and surcharges in the month of November and $243 in the month of December.

The Town’s Zoning/Code Enforcement Department received a total of 20 permits in 2024, three of which were demolition permits in the month of December following damage from recent storms.

The Town Board and Zoning/Code Enforcement Department are also looking to address derelict properties in the Town, specifically non-residential properties. Zoning/Code Enforcement Officer Ed Pagano referred to several properties as an “eyesore” and hopes to take a “proactive” approach to push for the properties to be cleaned up or addressed in another way, including issuing citations or other legal action. The Town will also evaluate whether any derelict properties would be of use to the Town through eminent domain proceedings.

McAvoy encouraged residents who utilize property in the Town for agricultural purposes to request to be included in an Agricultural District. The inclusion period for the classification is in January. As the Town is zoned as agricultural, many properties are likely already classified as agricultural land, but the classification offers protections for farmers and others utilizing land for agricultural purposes. The benefits include limits to local regulation and eminent domain proceedings, as well as discouragement of nuisance lawsuits.

Moving forward, the Arkwright Town Board will be meeting an hour earlier than it has been in recent years. At its reorganizational meeting, the regular meeting time of the Town Board was changed to 6:30 p.m., every second Monday of the month.

The next meeting of the Arkwright Town Board is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 10 at 6:30 p.m.