Mayor Jim Auxer

Shepherdstown will be getting a new Town Hall.

Acting on the recommendation of the Town Hall Construction Committee, the Shepherdstown Council voted to proceed with design and construction documentation for a new Town Hall building, under the assumption that the existing Town Hall will be entirely demolished.

The measure states that it will be possible to incorporate some design elements of the current Town Hall, such as the stone siding, into the new Town Hall, but the Town Hall Construction Committee and Mayor Jim Auxer agreed that the current building is too small, too hard to heat or cool, and in the words of Auxer “outdated.” The new Town Hall design draws on architectural elements of the surrounding buildings in its facade. Taking inspiration from the many shops on German Street, the new Town Hall will feature large glass windows at street level, so that passers-by can see inside. The goal is to design the building as a public space, with areas, inside and out, for people to gather.

“I’m hopeful that the new Town Hall will meet our program needs and fit into the architechture of the town,” Auxer said. “We’re also trying to do the green thing.”

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Town Hall, 104 N. King St.

The Town Council also voted to move $15,000 from unallocated video lottery funds to a police vehicle reserve fund. The police vehicle reserve fund is maintained so that if the Corporation of Shepherdstown suddenly finds itself in need of a new police vehicle, there will already be money set aside. There are no plans to purchase a new police vehicle in the immediate future.

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Mayor Auxer announced that the Streetscape project will be finished by the end of June, and a final report on the cost of Streetscape is expected in July. The mayor also presented a letter from Shepherdstown residents Elise and Martin Baach praising the Streetscape project.

The Shepherdstown Council also increased the Streets Supervisor wage by $2.25 per hour, and appointed Bane Schill to the Tree Commission and Alice Chakmakian to the Historic Landmarks Commission. Both appointments are three-year terms.