Stillwater continues to move forward with plans to relocate Village Hall to the former public library building at 662 Hudson Ave.

The Board of Trustees, at its meeting on Aug. 20, voted to award a renovation contract of $19,100 for new village hall improvements to John Tedesco LLC. The village solicited bids for the work in June and held a bid opening on July 25. Tedesco was the sole bidder on the project. Work is expected to get underway in the fall and includes:

• Installation of two (2) new windows
• Installation of a new interior wall and door
• Expansion of an elevated floor platform
• Relocation and reconstruction of the Board counter from the old Village Hall to the new Village Hall or installation of a new counter
• Relocation and reconstruction of the Village Clerk counter from the old Village Hall to the new Village Hall or installation of a new counter

Installation and supply of a handicap elevator, also part of the renovation plans, but is not included in the contract awarded on Aug. 20. The renovation work will be paid for with the village’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) federal funds awarded to municipalities to aid economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Village of Stillwater has steadily expanded over the past decades and as a result the Village Hall municipal office space at 1 School Street with the adjoining firehouse is inadequate to serve the current and future needs of the village. This is due in part to the age and condition of the building, inadequate space for the village’s offices, and lack of accessibility to public meeting areas and office locations.

Over the years, the village had explored a host of options to address these needs including renovation of the current Village Hall at 1 School Street and the temporary holding of public meetings at alternate sites such as Stillwater Town Hall.

On April 16, after the Stillwater Public Library decided to move to its new location at the former Stillwater Fiber Mill, Trustees voted to purchase the former library building at 662 Hudson Ave. for $140,000 to serve as the new Village Hall. This building is the former St. John’s Episcopal Church which dates back to 1874.

Officials gauge village’s interest in acquiring Stillwater Public Library