OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Members of the Arkwright Town Council and Town Officials admire the architectural design of the proposed Arkwright Town Hall, presented by Clark Patterson Lee Architect Bob Nordin.

ARKWRIGHT — Monday night, a long-awaited step in the process of a new town hall building was completed.

The Arkwright Town Board voted to proceed to finish the plans and prepare bids to the construction of a new town hall in Arkwright. The vote was 4-0 in favor of proceeding to seek the bid, with council member Lynn Bedford abstaining from the vote.

Supervisor Brian McAvoy said the structure will be built with funds already raised. McAvoy does not anticipate additional taxes to be required for the completion of the structure, but knows that some residents may still be upset with the cost.

“In terms of our revenues, everything is on track,” McAvoy said. “All in all, the town is healthy financially — good reserves and enough cash on hand to do what we need to do.”

Now that the board has given the green light, the plans for the building will be finished and bids will be sought, at which point Phase 1 of the construction will begin. During Phase 1, the outer shell of the building will be built, along with multiple bays, storage and a garage.

Mechanical and electrical work will also be completed with Phase 1 of the construction plan. CPL Architecture-Engineering-Planning was authorized to create the necessary specifications and plan drawings, which were presented in Monday’s meeting and approved. CPL is also authorized to coordinate the bidding process.

In the specifications shared on Monday, the design calls for a 168-foot long, 60-foot deep structure and housing six vehicle bays.

McAvoy spoke about his vision to use the old town hall building for storage and to turn the current structure being used as a town hall into a pavilion. He hopes the new building — once completed — will be used as more of a community center for many years to come.

“When we talk about spending money, we’re talking about investing in the town,” McAvoy said. “It’s a lot of money, I get that, but in the long run if we don’t do it, we will have spent more or have risked the town’s status, and I’m not willing to do that. As long as I’m here, I’m going to fight like heck to keep investing in roads, investing in equipment and investing in buildings.”