WESTBROOK – Westbrook city officials are planning to hold the first official public discussions Feb. 13 on whether or not to move out of City Hall and sell the building.
City Councilor John O’Hara, president of the city’s Facilities and Streets Committee, said Tuesday that there will be an item on next Monday’s agenda referencing “consolidation” of city facilities.
While that will involve discussing many buildings in the city, including the Fred C. Wescott Building, Prides Corner Elementary School, and the city’s public services complex, O’Hara said discussing the merits of moving City Hall would likely take up “the lion’s share” of the conversation that night.
No official decisions are expected Monday, O’Hara said, but given the large amount of unused space in municipal buildings, and the potential for even more empty space if the Prides Corner school closes, coupled with the budget problems on the city and school side, the time has come to begin discussions.
“We’ve got to belly up to the bar and figure out what we want to do,” O’Hara said. “Dollars are on the table here.”
O’Hara said for the City Hall operations to move anywhere, the city would need a footprint of about 25,000 square feet. The Fred C. Wescott Building, long thought to be a future home for City Hall, has a total of 97,000 square feet. O’Hara was not certain exactly how much space was already taken up with other uses, but he estimated that, if the city wanted to go there, the operations could fit with room to spare.
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