Bethel Selex Will Move Forward on Town Hall
By Chris Costanzo

At its Monday, Feb. 6 meeting, the Bethel Selectboard spent a lot of time poring over engineering drawings of the town hall foundation and drainage system, accompanied by recommendations and bid specifications. Engineer Tim Schaal, whom the town retained to oversee and prioritize the various phases of the building’s restoration, prepared the package.

A major problem with the building has been the seepage of water into the foundation and first floor. Although there is a drain pipe around the building around 10 feet of the foundation, engineering studies show that the old drain is now inadequate, probably in view of the ground characteristics resulting from the construction of the municipal parking lot several years ago.

The good news is that Schaal’s engineering study found no damage so far to the foundation, as a result of water seepage. On the other hand, the need to keep the ground floor dry requires a new foundation drainage system laid closely around the structure about five feet away from the building.

Since the town hall is built on a slope, the rear portion is deeper into the ground than the front, so Schaal’s plan calls for an additional drain pipe in the back of the building, about five feet higher than the new drain, and only about two or three feet from the building. Included in Schaal’s specifications is a change of the ground surface grading for several feet around the base of the building, to include erosion control netting, topsoil, seeding and mulching. The plans also provides for a new water access system that would permit the installation of sprinklers to meet fire code requirements.

The selectboard asked town manager Dell Cloud to produce a bid packet, which will take a few weeks. Selectboard chair Neal Fox stated his desire that local contractors do the work if at all possible. The board is still uncertain how widely the town will advertise the bid, or for how long the bid offer should be on the market.

The board and the town manager offered no guess as to the probable cost of the foregoing foundation rehabilitation phase of the town hall restoration project. They reviewed a grant application prepared by Don Hirsch, whom the town has retained as a grant facilitator. The application cites a ballpark figure of approximately $96,500 to excavate the foundation, upgrade the drainage and grade the site, but Cloud cautioned that it was probably based on earlier studies, which include some veneer work along the sides, but does not cover a new access system to accommodate sprinklers. The grant would be for only a portion of the foundation restoration project, and the rest of the funds would have to come from the town hall fund or other grants.

Amy Bergamo, chair of the town hall finance committee, informed the board that her committee’s next meeting will be Thursday, Feb. 23 at 6 p.m. at the town library. Don Hirsch will be there to discuss outside funding for the various phases of town hall restoration. The selectboard plans to attend the meeting, and interested members of the public are also invited.

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