BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Merging city resources into one location. That’s the plan being pitched by officials in the Marble City.
On Tuesday afternoon, Rutland officials announced an exploratory plan to merge several city resources into one location.
It’s an idea created to skirt the high cost of repairs to multiple historic buildings like city hall and the Rutland Free Library.
“A place where the library and city hall could come together and have resources in one space, while at the same exact time reducing costs and that burden on our taxpayers,” said Rutland Mayor Mike Doenges.
The proposed location, the ASA Bloomer building on Merchants Row in the city’s downtown, already houses multiple state agencies.
Officials say combining the library, city hall, and possibly police services into one location could save up to $10 million of taxpayer money in repairs to current spaces.
“The price started going up, and so when the mayor suggested we might look at co-locating, it puts a price tag on it we can afford,” said Rutland Free Library Director Randal Smathers.
Considering its potential benefits, including freeing up potential space for housing, Mayor Doenges said this is a project he couldn’t ignore.
“You could do everything in one afternoon versus having to run around to three different places… so we have to figure out what’s next, and do that research, because our idea we think is a good idea but we want to hear what everyone else has to say,” said Doenges.
The library has been angling for a move away from its current building since 2009, most recently failing to move to the now-closed College of Saint Joseph.
Their current space, built in the 1800s, hasn’t seen major renovations since the 1980′s.
Smathers says that while he recognizes its history, he wants a better space for visitors.
“There are a lot of folks who are emotionally attached to this building, um it is not a good library space for us and it has not been for a long time because a modern library you do want to have that one floor,” said Smathers.