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Southern Shores received two bids over $500,000 for the renovation of Town Hall. The remodel would include an ADA-compliant entrance, new entry doors, a relocated reception area, a new conference room, an expanded file room, and relocated entrances.

In addition to the Town Hall remodel, town manager Cliff Ogburn requested bids for new security doors for the Pitts Center and the Police Department. The current door access control system is no longer supported and is nearing the end of its useful life. This project is high priority, said the town manager, and needs to be completed even if the town opts not to pursue the Town Hall remodel project.

The costs for both of these projects total $717,684, which Ogburn admitted at the November 12 council meeting was a lot of money to invest in an aging building.

“It’s a lot of money for a building that’s in the shape that it is. I hate to say we’re putting lipstick on a pig, but that’s kind of the easiest way I can make that statement,” Ogburn said. “It’s an all-interior remodel – when we do all that we still have a 40-year-old building that we’re going to try and breathe life into.”

Town Hall was state-of-the-art when it was built, Ogburn said, but doesn’t serve the town’s needs well today. The building cannot accommodate very much growth in town, and while the remodel would be useful in the short term, the town manager was hesitant to recommend an expensive remodel for a short-term fix.

Immediate needs are new doors, an updated entrance, and a reconfigured file room.  Mayor Pro-Tem Matt Neal estimated that the project could be completed for around $300,000. The council authorized the town manager to discuss the smaller project scope with the contractor and return at a later date with new estimates.

“We’re dealing with aging infrastructure we do need to think about our municipal campus as a whole and our purposes and uses,” said Neal. “What would that look like in terms of a master plan?”

The council agreed to discuss the possibility of a master plan for a potential campus-wide renovation project – which would include Town Hall, the flattop at 13 Skyline Drive, an empty lot, the police department, and the Pitts Center – at their March retreat.

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