by Lyssa Papazian
In 2022, The Town and the Putney Historical Society (PHS) signed a 25-year lease for the second floor to serve as the home for the PHS as well as a shared event and meeting space once a comprehensive renovation is accomplished. The Putney Town Hall is the major landmark in the Putney village center. The town hall is a massive 55×35 two-story clapboard building built in 1871 in the Italianate style reminiscent of the late 1800s era. Putney Town Hall is on the National Register of Historic Places as a key contributing resource in the Putney Village Historic District. It is a remarkably well-preserved piece of American history and still contains most of the original interior and exterior architectural features it had when it was built more than 150 years ago.
The renovation of Putney’s 1871 Historic Town Hall will restore the outdated, energy inefficient, and under-utilized municipal center of Putney to a functional, accessible, inviting, comfortable, climate resilient, and inspiring facility for Town offices, town and community activities, and as the long-term home of the PHS. Currently, the first floor houses the town offices (Town Manager, Administrative Assistant, Town Treasurer, Town Clerk, Assistant Town Clerk, and the three-person Listers office) as well as a small meeting room for the Selectboard and many other committee meetings. The second floor, including a large auditorium and stage, has been vacant for decades and has no heating, plumbing, sprinkler system, or ADA access.
Goals for the Renovation Project
● Improve Town Hall accessibility with increased comfort, safety, climate resilience and contemporary functionality as an inclusive and welcoming municipal center.
● Support PHS operations as a cultural and educational institution leading the preservation and protection of Putney’s history and vitality.
● Reduce the cost to operate and maintain Town Hall as a center of civic engagement.
● Eliminate Town Hall use of fossil fuels and reduce overall carbon emissions.
● Provide a model for the successful reuse and updating of historic buildings in Putney’s village center and historic district.
● Serve as an anchor for downtown economic revitalization as a culturally rich, accessible rural village center.
● Promote local transition to electric vehicle use while encouraging economic activity in the village center.
● Increase public participation and pride in Town government and community initiatives.
The Putney selectboard is committed to maintaining town hall’s historic character and has had studies done on how to improve the building. The town has completed some of the improvements that had been recommended in a 2005 Feasibility Plan, including roof restoration, over the past several years. That 2005 plan was updated in 2023 and the Town is now moving on to undertake the entire scope of work as recommended by the report. The PHS and the Town are partnering on accomplishing and funding the project.
To date, a small working group has been managing the Stage 1: Initial Project Planning & Development since 2022. It consists of Karen Astley, Town Manager; Sue Coakley, Chair of the Putney Planning Commission; and Lyssa Papazian, PHS Treasurer (& Historic Preservation Consultant). They have done a great deal of research and sought advice from funding and planning agencies, prepared grant applications, secured Selectboard seed funding (ARPA fund allocation), kept the Selectboard & PHS Board informed, and created a Draft Schedule and Draft Working Sources and Uses plan.
A list of Preliminary Stage 1 Work Completed to Date
● 2023 updating of a 2004 Putney Town Hall Conditions Assessment and a 2005 Renovation Feasibility Study. The update was done by Greenberg Architects funded by USDA/Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC), Preservation Trust of Vermont (PTV), PHS and the Town and were accompanied by preliminary existing floor plans by Greenberg Architects
● Completion of a 2023 HVAC Study by WV Engineering Associates funded by a grant from USDA/ BDCC
● Completion of an historic window assessment by Lyssa Papazian, Historic Preservation Consulting in 2023
● Completion of a building energy assessment by the State of Vermont’s Municipal Energy Resilience Program (MERP) with an opportunity to apply fall 2024 for MERP grant funding for energy efficiency improvements including replacement of oil heat with high efficiency air source heat system
● Town has hired grant writers to assist the Town Hall Project
● Selectboard approved $200,000 in ARPA funding for the Town Hall Project.
● PHS approved allocating $25,000 for the project
● Town applied for Paul Bruhn Grant for $97,000 from the Preservation Trust of Vermont (PVT), matched by $13,000 from PHS and the Town for repair and restoration of Town Hall windows and addition of new storms. The project was selected as the first alternate and was informed recently that there is a current opportunity for partial for $75,000 funding. NOTE: window project may need to start first as a Phase 1 in order to use the funding source by July 2026
Scope of the Renovation Work
● Comprehensive energy efficiency & ADA upgrades in a manner that preserves Town Hall historic architecture and related features – including window and door upgrades.
● Replacement of the Town’s fossil fuel-based heating system with state-of-the-art HVAC system (air source heat pumps or biomass boiler/air handlers) and energy recovery ventilators for comfort heating, cooling and ventilation on both floors.
● Structural upgrades to provide full building code and ADA compliance including an elevator (or LULA with variance), ADA accessible bathrooms, and accessible doors and entrance ways.
● Restoration of historic exterior features
● Electric and communication wiring necessary to support the new HVAC equipment and elevator, controllable lighting, contemporary plug loads, and audio-visual equipment and information technology that enable in-person as well as virtual and hybrid accessible public participation in Town and community gatherings.
● Reconfiguration and furnishing of internal space to serve municipal and PHS needs including space for community meetings and events while retaining key historical building features.
● Repairing, patching and painting of walls, windows and doorways.
● Repairing and refinishing floors and stairs.
● Repair or replacement of exterior features including building entrances and railings.
● Installation of Level 2 and 3 EV charging infrastructure in the Town Hall parking area.
Next Steps
Going forward, the Selectboard will appoint a Town Hall Renovation Committee (“Committee”) to include the existing working group plus a few new appointees. The Committee will be chaired by the Town Manager to guide Stage 2:Pre-Construction Project Planning & Development; Stage 3: Construction; and Stage 4: Post-Construction Commissioning and Wrap-up. The Town is in the process of hiring an architectural firm and hopes to contract with a Project Manager to assist the project. The Committee will keep the Selectboard informed and seek approvals as needed. Assisted by the architect and possibly by the project manager, the committee will plan the project secure the funding, and conduct public education and engagement around the project. The design work will be done within the next 8 months and is funding is secured, construction should start in 2025.