FLY CREEK - The Otsego town board will give residents a chance to offer their ideas about the renovation of the town hall during a public hearing next month.

The plan to renovate the thirty-year-old municipal building started with the idea of adding a fireproof records room, but grew into a much larger project, said town supervisor Tom Breiten.

The town received a member item grant from Senator Jim Seward in the amount of $42,500 to fund the new records room.

"I told the board, if we do that we might as well straighten out the rest of it," he said Monday morning.

A good example, he said, is the comprehensive plan workshops being held at the Sportsman's Association instead of the municipal building because the maximum occupancy is 50 people.

Current plans call for a larger meeting room that backs up against the court room. The doors can be opened to expand either one if required to accommodate more people.

"It made more sense that while we're talking about building renovation, we try to anticipate the future needs of the town," Breiten said.

The town board put the renovation out to bid, but received only one bid which Breiten said was "significantly" over budget.

The job was bid a second time and the board received two. One was for nearly $400,000 and a second for $348,000.

"One good thing about taking so long getting the ball rolling was that we had time to work on the finances," he said.

Between money in a reserve fund, the state grant and an unexpended fund balance, the town has enough to pay the bill without going back to the taxpayers for additional money, Breiten said.

The current design calls for new electrical, heating and septic systems, central air conditioning, windows, doors, siding, lighting, bathrooms, kitchen, carpeting, sheetrock, additional office space, a larger meeting room and fireproof records room.

"We want to get public input. We want to see what they think," Breiten said. "I think it is needed. It's not going to get any less expensive in the future. We want to present our thinking to the townspeople."

The public hearing will be held Wed., Dec. 14, at 7 p.m. in conjunction with the town board's regular monthly meeting.

Current plans may be reviewed at town clerk Pam Deane's office during regular business hours.