Karrie Allen is reporting in the Chatham Courier on progress being made by the Austerlitz Town Board toward the renovation of a historic building into its new town hall. Bids went out in April and are expected to come back this month, Supervisor Rob Lagonia said. Work on the new building will start in June or July, and should be finished in a year, he said. The funding for this project has been donated, which is rare, Lagonia said. Not a single taxpayer dollar is being used. The main focus of the project is to preserve the original building, the former Methodist Episcopal Church. On the exterior of the building, the columns will stay, but the wooden steps will be rebuilt. The renovations include a minor addition to house offices for the town justice and court clerk. Offices for the supervisor, town clerk, code enforcement officer and assessor, as well as a conference room will be located on the main building's lower level. The building was formerly owned by the Ellsworth Kelly Foundation. The foundation donated much of the money being used for the renovation. Read the full story in the Chatham Courier.