Town of Urbanna to rent temporary space to use while tackling multiple issues with current HQ

by Tom Chillemi – 

The Urbanna Town Hall building is more than 100 years old and has problems. “Those issues have continued to mount,” said Councilor Bill Goldsmith, who serves as chairman of the finance committee. Goldsmith made the remarks at the Nov. 18 regular semimonthly council meeting.

The building does not comply with the American Disabilities Act, Goldsmith noted, and the second floor air conditioning needs to be replaced, the HVAC ductwork on the first floor is disintegrating and spewing particles. Also, the town council recently agreed to set up a DMV Select office within the town offices, which will require remodeling, he said.

Goldsmith did not mention the town hall’s structural problems discussed by council in April of this year that include the bulging south wall and a settling foundation.

For these reasons and others council voted on Nov. 18 to approve a lease for office space at Waverly Commons, just west of the town limits across from the Urbanna firehouse. The lease is for “up to 24 months” at a monthly rent of $3,336, said town council’s attorney Andrea Erard. The rent will be just more than $40,000 per year.

Erard said the town will also be responsible for adapting office space for its needs in terms of Internet, an alarm system, pay for utilities and insurance.

Goldsmith noted, “That (leased building) has multiple advantages while we decide how to work with this building.” It has ample parking, it is wired for computers, has modern wiring and there is room to expand, while there is no room to expand at the current town hall, he added.