HASKINS – All decked out for the holidays, Haskins’ brand-new village hall got its public premier
Wednesday night.
It’s “a modern facility we can function in more efficiently,” said Mayor Paul Gies at the event.
The new, 3,911-square-foot structure, located on the grounds of the former Haskins Elementary School,
replaces the village’s previous hall – an aging former church built in 1870.
The new structure contains, among other amenities, a large council chamber, offices for staff including
the clerk/treasurer and village administrator/police chief, a space for mayor’s court and utilities
receipts, a larger area for police, a kitchenette, unisex bathroom complete with shower, a locker room
area, evidence storage for police, and a large unfinished room at the building’s northernmost end.
Plans for that unfinished space include the storage of village records still located off-site, and
potentially the relocation of the village post office.
The building also features improved security, with swipeable carded entry for employees.
Administrator and Police Chief Colby Carroll said Wednesday there is also improved and increased parking
at the new building, and he is confident that the facility will allow the village to see savings in
heating and cooling costs.
Of the new police space, he said “it’s certainly much more efficient for them … we don’t need to worry
about drop ceiling falling on them or computers like it was doing.”
“I just can’t say enough good stuff about it.”
The village has already started to settle into its new home – the move began in mid-October – and two
council meetings have taken place there so far.
Gies said that the village council has not yet decided what to do with the former hall on Church Street,
but said they have thus far discussed two possible options: either sell the building, or demolish it and
use the grounds for parking.
Construction of the new building was prompted by a number of issues, including accessibility problems, a
lack of space, and the high costs of heating and cooling the old structure – during some months the gas
bill shot up past $600. The space was so cramped that when elections were held – the old building served
as the village polling place – village offices had to shut down to accommodate voters. Police evidence
and village records had to be kept in storage off-site.
Ground was broken for the $400,000 new facility in July, with Burhrer Group Architecture and Engineering,
and Midwest Construction working on the project.
