GRAFTON — Currently renting a space in the village, the town of Grafton is a step closer to having a new home for its own Town Hall.
According to Town Chairman Lester Bartel, town officials recently agreed to a $45,000 executive contract with Abacus Architects, Inc. of Milwaukee, allowing for the remodeling of the 2-acre space located at 1220 Falls Road, formerly occupied by Motorsport Composites. The town reviewed two proposals for service before making its decision.
The building will undergo cosmetic renovations on the outside, which includes adding a new doorway, an airlock and making it ADA accessible. Inside, Bartel said they will gut it and convert the space — around 3,000 square feet — into a meeting hall, reception area and offices. According to information provided to the Board of Supervisors, additional space may remain as storage and/or lease space.
"We want to make this a one-time investment," he added.
The town initially purchased a roughly 3.9-acre property on Highway W in the summer of 2020, but the cost of building a Town Hall there was too much.
Bartel said the town is in the process of marketing the property as several parcels and expects to sell the land for more than it originally purchased.
Now having bought the building on the northwest corner of Port Washington and Falls roads for $625,000, the town has been renting the western part of the building to Michaels Construction for $3,000 a month since last May. According to information they presented to the Plan Commission last year, Michaels intended to use the building as a testing facility for concrete while working on the Interstate 43 construction project.
Abacus Architects, Inc. proposed a percentage fee of 8.35% based on the construction cost of $600,000. Bartel said they will not exceed spending $600,000, and if they have to borrow, it will be very little.
"Abacus Architects Inc. has a very good head start on your project," the firm said in its original proposal. "We have already drawn your existing building in our three-dimensional model program, visited the site several times and have even started to design your future town hall."
The future Grafton Town Hall is located on the northwest corner of Port Washington and Falls roads.
