In what may have been record time for a discussion, motion, and vote on an agenda item, the selectmen voted unanimously this week to leave the second floor of Town Hall as one large room, the plan presented at Special Town Meeting last October. This week’s decision came after a public input session two weeks ago, where most attendees supported keeping the upper Town Hall’s layout flexible so the space could be used as one large room for events. Little support was shown for any other ideas at that session. A possible plan put forth by Selectman Leo Blair to use the space for school administration offices fell by the wayside a few weeks ago after the School Committee said the space would be insufficient.
It took a mere two minutes and 12 seconds for the selectmen to come to the decision, and most of that time was spent discussing an amendment to clarify Ken Swanton’s motion to leave plans for the second floor “as is.” In their haste, the selectmen replaced “as is” with “as presented at Town Meeting,” without clarifying that the town meeting in question was not Annual Town Meeting, but the October 2014 Special Town Meeting.
