GREENVILLE-The Greenville Board of Selectmen has established a Municipal Building Task Force to address, finalize and recommend how to improve the conditions at the municipal building on Minden Street. Selectmen Bonnie DuBien and Bruce Hanson will represent the board on the force, which will include Town Manager John Simko, Code Enforcement Officer Dick Gould and representatives from the town clerk's office and the fire, police and public works departments.

The group has been given a symbolically short leash, with a slate of recommendations already developed by Simko and three-month time limit to report back to the board.

The town has wrestled with the problem for years and any solution "will meet with controversy," Simko acknowledged. However, the recommendations as developed reflect the feelings of the various departments, and should serve to "get the ball rolling," he added.

The course of action the manager recommends is six-pronged.

First action would be to build a fire department annex where the sand pile used to be which would include two truck bays, administrative space and a meeting room.

Second, the existing two bays of the fire department facing Minden Street would be remodeled for police department office space, storage and cruiser space.

Third, remodel the current overhead storage space for efficiency and expand into the first floor into more police department storage space, if necessary.

Fourth, explore the possibility of expanding the current fire hall meeting space into the existing first bay and remodel.

Fifth, move the code enforcement officer into the existing police department space. Sixth, remodel the administrative area to modern standards.

The board hopes to recommend a plan and budget that would be brought to the voters at the June 2003 town meeting.

"This content originally appeared as a copyrighted article in the Moosehead Messenger and is used here with permission."