Town House Costs Cause Concern

The topic for many residents in Marion has been what to do and how much to spend on bringing the town house into the 21st century and beyond.

The need has been demonstrated, a committee has done research and held months of study and public meetings, and numerous options have been explored – but in the end, cost seems about to trump desire.

Built in 1890, one of several buildings in the area funded by well-known benefactor Elizabeth Taber, the Marion Town House has long been a cornerstone building serving the needs of a community passionate about its Victorian village character. However, during the Town House Building Committee meeting on November 5 – held in the Marion Music Hall, another iconic building– it was not clear that taxpayers were willing to open their wallets wide enough to fund a multi-million dollar construction project.

Committee Chairman Robert Raymond, along with architect Peter Turowski of T2 Architecture and his team, presented residents with two conceptual plans that have been selected out of a field of eight possibilities. They cited numerous current building code violations and the costs associated with maintaining decrepit buildings as critical issues for the residents to consider.

Raymond presented the two concepts that the committee believes meet the needs of the community.

Concept A offers a rehabilitation plan primarily for the town house with an aesthetically-pleasing addition at the back of the building and additional parking. Concept A is pegged at just over $12 million with an average taxpayer impact of about $188 per year.

Concept B is a grander idea involving both the town house and the library with full-scale rehabilitation, additions to each historic structure, and a connector building joining the two properties. The connector building could be used for a variety of functions including space for the Council on Aging and also features new parking areas. Concept B is estimated at $28 million with an average tax impact of approximately $421.

“Have you guys really looked into how this thing is going to fit into this town?” questioned resident Ted North. Financial spreadsheets in hand, he said that current and future expenses the town faces came in at a whopping $163,000,000, continuing, “and now you have prosed $21 million for a town house project!” He concluded, “If you look at a twenty year net value that becomes $25,000 or $35,000 per taxpayer.”

Raymond replied, “We were just asked to look at the town house, library and Council on Aging.” He said the project has some flexibility, noting that the buildings “aren’t going to fix themselves,” and that, as time passed, construction costs would only rise. He said the committee would be talking to the selectmen about applying for state grants and other funding sources to relieve some of the financial burden taxpayers would face.

“This project falls into historic restoration … it should be paid for with private money,” said North. “If these buildings are so important to Marion, then a foundation should be established to raise private money,” he said.

The mood of the audience seemed to echo North’s, until it came to the question of tearing down the town house and building new, an idea floated out by resident Stephen Kokkins. “Tearing down and replicating it so that Mrs. Taber from fifty feet away wouldn’t know the difference … is a less expensive option,” Kokkins asserted.

Most, however, agreed with resident Bill Saltonstall.

“I’m in favor of trying to preserve the building,” said Saltonstall.

Raymond said the committee would continue to engage the public moving forward as they prepare to put the future of the town house and library to the voters at Town Meeting.

By Marilou Newell

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