Rebecca Leonard
News Correspondent
TEMPLETON — With the Town Clerk’s Office moving to the new Town Hall in East Templeton next week, town officials were surprised to find out the history of the old building in Baldwinville.
“It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but it’s been said that the building was originally owned by the federal government,” said Holly Young, senior legal assistant for the Board of Selectmen.
Interim Town Administrator Bob Markel told selectmen on Monday that he had been informed by the deputy assessor that the building is thought to have been on a 99-year lease from the federal government to the town. The lease was up several years ago, but the federal government never came to claim the building.
Ms. Young said that it’s been rumored that the building was once used as an Army Corps of Engineers building.
With the town clerk moving across town, the building inspector plans to visit the site and examine the building to decide if it should be condemned.
“It’s my guess that the building will be condemned,” Mr. Markel told the selectmen.
He said that if the building is condemned the town will most likely pay to demolish and remove the debris.
“It would take a long time for the (federal) government to decide what they wanted to do with the building and which department would need to take control of it. It would be faster if we took care of it,” explained Ms. Young.
Mr. Markel is looking into estimates on how much the demolition and debris removal would cost, but discussion of where the funds would come from has yet to happen.
The town is already looking to the future and plans to plant grass over the area and create a park to take advantage of the convenient downtown location next to Otter River, like the park in Orange on the Miller’s River.
While all of this is going on, Town Clerk Carol Harris will be in her new office, after over a year of being in the old worn down building, while the other offices from that building and the other old town office building, on Route 2A, had already been moved.
“It’s going to be great to have all the town offices in one building, especially for the townspeople,” said Ms. Harris.
The reason for the hold on the move has been the construction of the new vault, where the town will keep its historical records.
According to Ms. Harris, state laws prohibit her from being in a different building than the records, and the office needs a fireproof and waterproof space to keep them.
The move, which was originally scheduled for Aug. 27, has been postponed until Sept. 2 and 3. The Town Clerk’s Office will be open again the following Tuesday, Sept. 8, at the new building.
I have only one piece of advice to who ever tears down this building," Don't dig any deeper than you have to". Years ago, ok, many years ago....Billy Blais, Tom Benbenic and I spent a lovely 4th of July weekend watching a trench being dug between the river and the building you are referring to know. Office staff complained about the fumes of gas entering the building, when the water level of the river got high. Since the time gasoline was used to power anything, tanks had leaked, and as you know, everything runs down hill. It was impossible to find the source, so we tried to remedy the problem, as best we could. I guess we did our job. How the building is still standing, is beyond me. I will be glad to see it gone. Bev.
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