By Gail Geraghty

Staff Writer

There was a bit of confusion, and some consternation, among Bridgton Selectmen Tuesday when discussing interior improvements to Town Hall.

Selectmen Greg Watkins and Paul Hoyt questioned whether the board officially agreed on the list of improvements to be made, in discussions leading up to finalizing the budget for 2016-2017.

Selectman Bob McHatton maintained that the board had reached consensus, although he did not cite an official vote. Town Manager Bob Peabody said he included money in the budget for the work, adding, “I would not have put anything in this budget that you folks did not approve me putting in there.”

McHatton said it had initially been thought that the interior improvements were going to cost around $100,000, but after researching costs, the board realized “It was going to cost nowhere near that amount of money.”

McHatton said, “We told the taxpayers we would stabilize that building, which was done.” He said board members had agreed that because Town Hall is used primarily for recreational activities, it didn’t make fiscal sense to replace the ceiling and interior walls, which were the two priciest items considered for the project.

McHatton said the plan is to replace two toilets, create an office space and paint the interior walls, using labor from the Public Works Department.

Hoyt said he didn’t think the board had finally decided whether to spend $12,000 on a LED sign out front, and also wondered whether partial clapboard siding was planned for the outside of the building.

Peabody said the actual costs for the improvements won’t be known until bids are made. McHatton did get some estimates from local contractors on some aspects of the job.