Ludlow debates future of Armory
Toolbox
By Josh O'Gorman STAFF WRITER - Published: August 15, 2009
LUDLOW — The Armory Committee discussed the potential best uses for the property and raised the question of what residents might be willing to pay for during their meeting Wednesday afternoon.
Committee members reviewed a two-page list of proposed uses for the Armory and the adjacent tank building. The ideas came from the July 28 public meeting which solicited ideas from what John Neal called "a pretty diverse group" representing organizations such as LPCTV, Black River Good Neighbor Services and the Black River Area Community Coalition.
Ideas include installing a commercial kitchen and opening up the Armory to family functions such as wedding receptions and anniversary celebrations as well as a host of educational uses for the adjacent schools, such as a gymnasium, a cafeteria and a science lab. In addition, the building could serve recreational uses such as after school and summer programs.
Another idea floated at the public meeting was splitting the 6,000-square-foot tank barn between LPCTV and Black River Good Neighbor Services. An LPCTV representative said the station needs space with much higher ceilings than it currently has, while a representative from Black River Good Neighbor Services said the organization needs more space to privately counsel its clients and to store furniture for its annual rummage sale.
During the meeting, committee member Wayne Hammond said the committee should reach out to the highway and fire departments to see if they want to use the tank barn to store their vehicles. Municipal Manager and committee member Frank Heald said the question should be what would best benefit the community and suggested storing the town's buses might not be the best use for the space.
Heald noted that the budget doesn't include money to make the tank barn ready for LPCTV or Black River Good Neighbor Services. While about $800,000 is budgeted for the Armory, only about $50,000 is budgeted for the tank barn, chiefly for electrical upgrades. Heald said the town would be looking at about $350,000 to make the necessary upgrades to prepare the tank barn for occupancy.
"The question should be, 'What are voters going to approve? What will they spend?'" Heald said.
Committee members agreed to take the list of suggestions home and rank them in order of importance, in anticipation of the next public hearing at 7 p.m. Aug. 26. The next Armory Committee meeting will be at 4 p.m. Wednesday. Both the hearing and the meeting will be held at Town Hall.
josh.ogorman@rutlandherald.com
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