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Stockbridge Plain School plans unveiled
By Derek Gentile, Berkshire Eagle Staff  

Wednesday, January 18
STOCKBRIDGE — When residents visit town offices in their new home at the Stockbridge Plain School, they'll enter through the front door.
That revelation was met with a warm reception last night as residents and the Selectmen got their first look at preliminary plans for the renovation project.

"I've lived here 20 years and I've never seen that door used," said Selectman J. Cristopher Irsfeld. "I think it's a good idea."

For years, he said, visitors to the school entered the building via the door closest to the side parking lot.

Project manager Joseph Kellogg presented plans last night for moving town offices and the police station to the school building.

In October, voters at a special town meeting approved a renovating the former school for use as town offices, after the Berkshire Hills Regional School District had returned the building to the town. The present Town Hall is not accessible to the handicapped and is not as spacious as the school.

Officials also plan to transform — probably with private funding — the current Town Hall into a community center.

Kellogg said there will probably be another informational meeting on the school renovation, although a date has not been set. After that, architect Kenneth Jodrie will put together a bid package to be completed by late February or early March and put the project out to bid.

The bids would be opened by late March, which is when the final numbers would be determined, said Kellogg. Following the bid opening, the selectmen will schedule a special town meeting for voters to approve the cost, sometime in April.

Kellogg said, if all goes well, the town would like to aim for a May 1 construction start. The construction work would be performed over a 12-month period, he said.

The Selectmen and various residents in attendance were impressed with the plans.

"That seems very aggressive," said Selectman Chairman Deborah McMenamy, "but we need to move forward."

"This project will never be less expensive than right now," said Kellogg.

Last night, Jodrie walked the Selectmen and the dozen audience members through the planned renovation work for the first floor and basement floor.

The first floor will use the main entrance of the building, he said.

"I like the concept of using the main front door as the main entrance," said McMenamy.

A new layout

As a visitor enters the first floor, the town clerk's office will be opposite the entrance with the tax collector's  

 
office to the left and the selectmen's office to the right. To the left of the tax collector's office will be the Assessor's office. Those two rooms will be connected by an inner door, said Jodrie.

There will also be separate offices for the building inspector, which will be about three times the size of the room he has now, said Jodrie.

One of the largest rooms on the first floor will hold workstations for the Planning Board, Conservation Commission, Finance Committee, Board of Health and Sewer and Water Commission.

More space available

The room would have space for filing cabinets for each of the boards, said Jodrie.

"The Conservation Commission has a lot of files," said Selectman George Shippey, who is also a member of the Conservation Commission. "I'm assuming you've taken that into account and there will be space in that room."

Jodrie said there would be space.

"Every department will have more space under this plan," said Kellogg. "Some more than others."

The gymnasium will remain intact, said Jodrie, and the police station will occupy the two-story addition behind the gym. The upper floor will have a communications room, exercise room and locker rooms. The lower floor will have the chief's office, a storage room for records, an interview room and a booking room.

The town also will be using a portion of the basement for a senior center, which would be in the former cafeteria, said Jodrie. But the rest of that space, as well as the second floor, remains unassigned.

Jodrie said there are no plans to make any changes to the exterior, although the roof will be replaced. In addition, the site work would be minimal.

At this point, said Kellogg, parking is a question, in part because the town does not know who the tenants might be for the second floor and a portion of the basement. There are some plans to create parking in the front as well as the side of the building, he said.

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Derek Gentile can be reached at dgentile@berkshireeagle.com or (413) 528-3660.