Proposed Town Hall, viewed from King Street

A co-chairperson of the Town Hall Construction Committee is inviting more comments about the proposed new 3,000-square-foot Town Hall that is estimated to cost $1 million to build.

THCC Co-chairperson Gussie Mills also headed up the former Shepherdstown Building Commission originally charged with soliciting proposals. She is concerned with some of the features of the current design, noting she wants to work together with architect Andy Singletary on some changes.

“I think the front can be tweaked so that it is more obviously a civic building,” Mills said during an interview with the Chronicle Tuesday.

A public meeting is slated for 9:45 a.m., Friday, July 31st at Town Hall to discuss possible changes to the latest schematic and floor plan drawings, Mills said.

“Most people in town have limited contact with Town Hall and really have no opinion one way or the other about the present building or a new one,” Mills said. “However, of the people who do have opinions, the ones we hear from are, not surpirsingly, the ones who hold negative opinions, and are pretty vocal about it.”

Mills said the past two years of Town Hall design work have not been easy for anyone invloved in the process.

“I’ve been yelled at a lot and threatened with lawsuits,” she said. “I am very grateful to the people who have encouraged me to stick with it.”

Mills said she does not want today’s meeting to be divisive or negative.

“Any positive and helpful comments are welcome,” she said.

The next hurdle for the project is to gain approval from the town’s Board of Zoning Appeals.