Botwood's big move: Town planning new town, fire halls

Moving day is comingfor the Town of Botwood.

After more than half a century in the same building, the town has started work on a new town hall and fire station.

Mayor Scott Scevioursaid the town has been asking the provincial government forfunding for several years for the projects.

"We're in desperate need of a new facility for our town hall and fire hall, due to the expenses that are being incurred,"Scevioursaid.

Town hall over 80 years old

The town has outlived the building, which is over 80 years old, said the mayor.

"It's in desperate need of repairs, and to put some money into that building is throwing good money after bad," he said. "Likewise for the fire hall, we need major investments in both buildings, and they're still old buildings."

The town office isn't wheelchairaccessible, and town council chambers are on the second floor of the current hall.

(The town hall is) in desperate need of repairs, and to put some money into that building is throwing good money after bad.- Botwood Mayor Scott Sceviour

"Really, if somebody who's actuallyhandicapped, in a wheelchair, (they) cannot access the chambers to attend a public meeting," he said, but that's just one of the problems with the current town hall.

"It needs all new windows, new siding. It needs new insulation, needs to be completely rewired,We're told by electricians it's a nightmare there right now. The facility's basically crumbling around us, and we're looking at well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars to bring that facility up to scratch."

The heating bills -- through electricity, propane and oil --at the fire hall are through the roof, Sceviour says.

"The savings in the heating costs alone would pay the mortgage on both buildings," he said.

Planning, engineering expected to be done by fall

The plan is for two separate buildings off Fernwood Drive, next to Botwood Collegiate.

The town has $190,000 from the provincial government, which will fund engineering and planning for the buildings. That stepwill be completed by the fall.

"Once that's done, we'll go back to government looking for capital works [funding]for site work, hoping that when we get our capital works [requests]in now for 2017, that hopefullynext summer, the next season, we'll be able to break ground and begin the work on the two facilities." said the mayor.

The town doesn't have plans for the old facilities yet. Sceviour said the town might put them up for sale.