NEWINGTON - Renovating Town Hall may be the cheapest option, but there may be more value in a hybrid approach-between that and demolition/rebuild-says Project Committee Chair Chris Miner.

       He says he’s not sure yet himself, but he urged residents to give the hybrid option some thought as he and fellow Committee members work to narrow their focus to one of the three directions offered by consultants from DTC-he hopes within a month or so of discussions.

       Miner expressed reservations regarding the renovation approach, pointing to DTC projections indicating that the building would reach less than maximum efficiency for the $24 million it would take to address a slew of infrastructure needs that includes replacing an outdated heating and electrical systems, adding improved insulation, and the abating PCBs.

       â€�"It’s [a renovation] not off the table, we just have to be fiscally responsible to the taxpayers and make sure that they’ll get something out of it,” Miner said after the meeting.

       There’s also the issue of space usage-Facilities Director David Langdon estimated that as much as 50 percent of the facility is wasted due to the congestion around office areas and larger, under-utilized segments. The building is designed that way because it was originally a school, he said during a tour of the facility given about three weeks ago.

       â€�"It could be a disservice in terms of longevity, and if it’s not any change to what we have now [in terms of space layout],” Miner said toward the end of the Committee’s July 20 meeting. â€�"A hybrid approach is definitely something that should be considered.”

       When asked about the costs associated with going that way, DTC consultants said that it should fall somewhere between the $24 million projected for a renovation and the $37 million cap on the price of a complete demolition and rebuild.

       Langdon suggested hiring an architect to draft tentative blueprints for both a renovation and hybrid project, saying that while it would cost more money upfront, the Committee would benefit from having a clear picture of both approaches at once.

       There’s also cost inflation to consider, Langdon said.

       â€�"The longer you kick the can down the road in hiring an architect, the more expensive it’ll be,” he said.

       Minor and his fellow Committee members hope the project doesn’t get kicked beyond their run with it. With two previous proposals rejected-the first by referendum two years ago and the latest at the Town Council level-they will be the third group to take on the task of finding an approvable plan for comprehensive work on the building.

       Meanwhile, the neighboring Lucy Robbins Wells Library is in the process of putting together plans for its own renovation-an expansion of its current facility-and there have been talks of designing each project to avoid redundancies with the other and possibly share the use of certain spaces.

       Committee Member and Town Councilor Jim Marocchini suggested speaking with the library’s project committee about possibly having a new community center constructed as an attachment to its building. That would allow Town Hall to use it for swing space during the project, since moving staff around as different sections of the building are closed off is supposed to be more costly, he said.