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Town of Athens officials secretive about work on new town hall

Jul 28, 2022 2:03 pm

Maura Rosner reports for Columbia-Greene Media that some Athens town officials want to build a new town hall but are being secretive about the process. The story says almost 100 people attended a public hearing July 18 on an eminent domain proposal, but does not say what property the town would be taking over. The story also says that "Attempts to speak with council members in favor of the eminent domain proposal were unsuccessful. Multiple voicemails and emails were left unanswered." The story does not say why the town wants to build a new town hall. The story also says that a resolution to hire an engineer for the project was "seemingly approved" but not recorded in board meeting minutes. Mary Beth Bianconi of Delaware Engineering in Albany was said to have presented a concept plan to the board for the project, but asked to keep it secret. “I cannot discuss those details,” Bianconi said. “You have to talk to the town. The town has that information.” So, there is talk about a new town hall for the town of Athens, but the public is not privy to many details about how taxpayer money is being spent on the project. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.