The Great hall was original called the Town Hall Auditorium. It was divided into temporary offices about 50 years ago. That conversion obscured the Hall and as time went by, most people became unaware of the Auditorium and the memory of its public use faded. Click HERE to view the YouTube video clip of the space above the 2nd floor ceiling.

• About 3 years ago, the Town opted to enter into the State’s Community Preservation Program which provided the opportunity to use a new source of revenue to fund the restoration of the entire Town Hall.  The Facilities Working Group produced a recommendation that would have restored the exterior of the building, but at the cost of virtually all of the historic features of the Hall. This was known as the Infill Proposal.
• At that time, a group of citizens prepared an alternative which would have created a 30,000 square foot addition and atrium adjacent to Town Hall. Although this proposal was not adopted by the Selectmen, it did lead them to re-study the issue. Both the Planning Board and the Historical Commission unanimously voted to support the restoration of the Hall for public use. Click here to see the Powerpoint Presentation that explained this alternative and how it compared with the "infill" plan.
• In 2007 the Selectmen requested Community Preservation Funds to study three alternatives. These were the original Iinfill and Annex proposals (options 2 and 3) and a compromise solution (option 1) which would restore the Hall, but fill it with offices with 8 foot high fixed partitions. MKA was selected to perform the study under the direction of the Permanent public Building Committee.
• At the May 2008 Town Meeting, a Citizen’s Petition was passed to form a study committee, independent of the administrative branch of Town Government, to make findings about the implications of re-establishing the Great Hall. This petition passed by an overwhelming majority (60 to 40 percent).
• In June of 2008, the board of Selectmen convened a “Town Hall Summit.” That meeting included all Town Boards and Commissions and was open to citizens. It produced meaningful discussion and comments by all parties with a stake in the decision.
• Subsequent to the Summit,  MKA was directed to develop a new proposal that would reflect as many of the concerns as possible. That became “Alternative 4.”  Click here to see the details of Alternative 4.

The Citizens for the Preservation of Town Hall unequivocally support Alternative 4 because it provides for needed Town offices, gives the public the best access to those offices, preserves the Great Hall for use, restores the building, provides for handicapped accessibility and creates an historically sensitive addition to the building while preserving all of the key architectural features.