Woodstock Supervisor Bill McKenna took heat for the design of the proposed renovation and addition to the old mansion on the hill that is used for town offices amid 76 pristine acres on what’s known as the Comeau property, during the most recent of three community meetings held at firehouses throughout the town. McKenna, Councilwoman Laura Ricci, Highway Superintendent Scott Bonestell and Police Chief Clayton Keefe took other questions about small-town issues such as noise, sidewalks and roads. But the main attraction was the $2.9 million town office renovation.
Voters will be asked on the November 2 ballot (remember: Propositions are on the back of the ballot) to give the town permission to borrow $1 million for the project. The remaining $1.9 million is slated to come from a capital reserve fund that has accumulated money from prior year surpluses.
Some in attendance at the Wittenberg Firehouse on October 13 questioned the need for the supervisor to have an office in a separate building — his office is in a cottage across the driveway — instead of all departments consolidated on the property being under one roof. The cottage would also be renovated in the project.
“I don’t think a question of needing a separate office. I think it’s more a question of being green and recycling. We have an existing structure that’s in very good shape there. So either we can renovate it and continue to use it as supervisors office, or we could do away with it, leave it there, let it rot to the ground and add on more new building,” McKenna said. “You know, we live in a green community. And I think the goal is to try and reuse as much as possible where we can.”
But longtime Woodstocker Dolores Lynch is worried about the tax burden of the town residents. “…here you say, only $27, but if you remember, if you watch your own taxes, how quickly they are going higher and higher and higher, and people are paying $10,000 plus on a house — and you’re going to have a bond, and now the library is considering a bond.”
Deputy Assessor Karen Shultis agreed with McKenna the main building needs work.
“We have to do something, I invite everybody in this room to come to my office and see it. One of these days, I’m going to be down on the first floor without an addition. I mean literally down on the first floor,” she said.
“Nobody hates to spend money more than I do,” McKenna said. He acknowledged the $3 million price tag is a lot, but the town’s hands are tied. “We have to deal with Wicks Law which increases the project by easily 25 to 30%. There’s no way around that,” he said, referring to a law requiring municipal projects to have separate contractors for each segment of the project, such as heating, plumbing and electrical. “I can’t promise you that you’re going to pay less taxes. What I do promise is that I’m going to spend that money to the best of my ability,” he said.
There were more skeptics.
“First of all, I don’t think anybody here has a problem with the building being built. The problem, I think, is the design of the building,” said Howard Harris, a critic of the project.
“The other option is we just don’t do anything,” McKenna responded.
“No, we’ve got to do something,” said Harris. “Okay. But the point is, does that have to be done,” Harris said, pointing to the project model on the table next to him.
He questioned the choice of architects. “In fact, I asked you the question at one of the meetings, could you answer it again? The fact of the matter is, [McKenna] was allowed to pick whoever he wanted, as a professional licensed person to design the building. The town board had the right to say, No, we want an RFP [Request for Proposals]. Now, can you tell these people here? Why you didn’t do that?”
Councilwoman Laura Ricci said when she was deputy supervisor, she saw the chosen architects Les and Jess Walker in action. “I thought that the architect did a great job on the Community Center. I thought that they understand the Woodstock community. I did not see the reason for an RFP, because in my belief they were reasonable. They would give us quality work at a reasonable price,” Ricci said. “And the other thing, when some people say, Well, you know, why don’t we get more choices. The architect chosen gave us a lot of choices.”
Harris noted the Woodstock Library had shown three different designs when it proposed replacing the current building and asked if the town should have done the same. “In retrospect, do you think that may be the town what should have said put out an RFP, or let the townspeople figure out what they felt was designed to complement the building,” Harris asked.
“I just want to mention, because Howard, you keep saying that McKenna picked Walker Architecture, and you’re trying to allude that there’s something nefarious…” McKenna said.
“You have the right to do it,” interjected Harris, who was questioning the transparency, not the choice.
“Les Walker was picked to be the town architect back in 1977 by (town supervisor) Val Cadden and (town councilwoman) Carol Harder. He’s done work for almost every supervisor…I think he did the public bathrooms under Tracy Kellogg,” McKenna said. “My point is you make it sound like there’s something underhanded.”
“No, you’re taking it like that,” Harris responded.
Commission for Civic Design Chair David Ekroth wondered why the Commission never saw alternative designs despite requesting them. “Our first meeting with Walker Architects, when we saw this proposal, we asked for alternative studies. And they wouldn’t do it. They said no,” Ekroth said.
Woodstock Tree Committee chairman Michael Veitch said he had contacted the state Historic Preservation Office and was told the addition will disqualify the building from historic designation. “This project as it’s proposed will kill any chance of the town qualifying that building for National Historic Register status which would give the town a lot of money to handle the renovation, to handle the maintenance, to handle the upkeep,” Veitch said. “Look at Byrdcliffe. Alf Evers put Byrdcliffe into the National Historic Register in 1976. They renovated virtually every building up there with Federal and State Historic Preservation money.”
McKenna refuted the claim the project will jeopardize historic status and said Councilman (and town historian) Richard Heppner is in discussions with the state regarding the issue.
Questions about inflating costs
Architect Bob Young said he met with McKenna in 2019 because he had concerns about the project budget. “There was no breakdown as to where the money was going between the three entities of the of the project. I wish we had a great conversation, but we didn’t. Essentially I was told that the horse had left the barn, and the train had left the station, and that it was a done deal. And you mentioned to me at the time, that you thought the price would be more like 1.3, 1.4 (million),” Young said. “I have the notes. And you signed a little piece of paper that said ‘I will keep a tight rein on this project.’ In 2020, it went to 1.9 million…The project now is at 2.9 (million).”
Building should be source of civic pride
“We live in a world-class community and famous town and we have the opportunity to build a civic building, which we rarely get to,” said Graydon Yearich, an alternate member of the Commission for Civic Design. “And so these buildings are a source of civic pride. At least they used to be, before economics ruled everything and made the built environment very ugly in America…Don’t we see it as a missed opportunity to not have had a more rigorous design process because this is going to be here forever, for my lifetime,” Yearich added. “It doesn’t represent to me the ethos of the community, the progressive values. It doesn’t seem like it’s a model of sustainability. It doesn’t look to the future. It doesn’t respond to the historic building at all.”
McKenna said the arguments are really about personalities and that he didn’t want to argue with the same four people.
“It’s the design, Bill. It’s the design. We know it’s needed. It’s just the design that’s the issue,” Harris said.
Town of Woodstock proposition
Here is the language as it will appear on the back of your ballot for the 2021 election:
A Bond Resolution Authorizing the Construction, Reconstruction, Renovation and Improvements to the Town Offices
Shall the bond resolution adopted by the Town Board on July 20, 2021, authorizing the Town of Woodstock to (a) undertake the construction, reconstruction, renovation, and installation of various improvements to the Town Offices (the Project), at a maximum estimated cost not to exceed $2,990,000, and (b) finance such Project by the issuance of bonds and/or notes of the Town in the aggregate principal amount not to exceed $1,000,000, with the remaining $1,990,000 of the estimated maximum cost of the Project to be paid from the Towns Capital Project Fund, be approved?
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