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Canfield trustees will stay at hall
By Elise Franco
Canfield
The township trustees are staying put at the Canfield Township Hall, at least for a while.
Marie Cartwright, trustee chairwoman, said the board decided not to move forward with the previous administration’s proposal to build a $1.2 million facility at the park lands on Herbert Road.
Cartwright said instead, the trustees are beginning to research what work needs to be done to update the current township building and make it more usable.
“We’ve already had structural engineers take a look to make sure the older portion is structurally capable. We’ve found the building is in good structural shape,” she said. “We’re looking at what we need to do from a perspective to making it an efficient facility to work in and conduct business.”
Tony Bettile, vice chairman, said the historical value of the current building, built in the late 1800s, was important to consider.
Bettile said he has some ideas about potential upgrades for the building.
“It has been maintained throughout the years, but some renovation may be necessary to update it to a more usable facility,” he said. “We’ve talked about the possibility of remodeling the upstairs level, which is basically used for storage now.”
Bettile said that portion of the building could possibly be turned into offices.
Currently, only the zoning inspector and the administrative assistant work full time out of the township hall, Cartwright said.
She said beyond those basics, the trustees don’t have any set plans.
The $1.2 million price tag on the proposed Herbert Road building was a major deterrent for the board, Cartwright said.
“In these economic times we didn’t believe this was a fiscally responsible avenue to take,” she said. “[Residents] had a lot of issues with it.”
Dan Bienko, a longtime township resident who vehemently opposed the new construction project, said he’s glad the trustees are listening to their constituents.
“I’m glad they’re making that decision,” he said. “It’s been a long struggle on my part to bring a voice of the people. I’m glad something positive is happening.”
Bienko, who regularly attends and gives comment at trustee meetings, said at this point, he doesn’t even think the board should put money into the current building.
“Unless it’s a safety issue, I would hold off on that because the space is functioning for the minimal people they do have,” he said. “At this point, with the economy the way it is, I would put that on the back burner.”
Cartwright said though the board doesn’t have a dollar figure on the potential renovations, the cost will be significantly less than constructing a new building.
She said they are continuing to research and plan what it will take to bring the township hall back to its full working potential.
“We’ll keeping looking at maintaining the existing building and keeping it in good repair,” she said.