York’s Town Hall reopens after renovation, expansion: 'It's been a long time coming'

YORK, Maine — The town's municipal offices reopened at the historic Town Hall last week after a year of renovations, including an 8,000-square-foot expansion.

Town staff have worked at a temporary office space at 4 Market Place since February 2023, after which construction began on the new-look historic Town Hall at 186 York Street. They moved back in last week to enjoy climate control offices and practically twice the space they had when they left.

"Night and day," Town Planner Dylan Smith said Friday in his new office. "This is a superior space to anything we've ever had."

The building was constructed in 1810 and became the Town Hall in 1830. The new construction ensures the municipal offices will remain at the center of York Village for years to come.

"It's been a long time coming," said Town Hall Building Committee Chair Wayne Martin.

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Town Hall project 'a long time coming'

York’s town government has been at the center of the town since the 1600s. The current structure was a courthouse before becoming York's municipal offices.

In the last century, the town made four attempts to replace or relocate the aging building.

The successful vote to renovate and expand the existing space came when the town settled a long-standing land ownership dispute with the neighboring First Parish Church.

"No one knew who actually owned the land underneath the building," said Nicole Pestana, the town's emergency management director and Town Hall Committee project manager.

The land was believed to be owned by the church, but that was ultimately disputed in historical records. York and the church entered a settlement in 2020 that deeded the land to the town.

In 2021, the town presented a plan to renovate the existing Town Hall to the public. Then-town manager Steve Burns said he believed the proposal would pass at the time because it kept the Town Hall in the same building. Voters approved the $7.29 million renovation and expansion of the Town Hall in the May 2022 referendum.

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New Town Hall benefits staff, residents

Last week, Pestana and Town Manager Peter Joseph said they are enjoying the new construction that brought modern amenities to a 19th-century building. The building was gutted down to its 1810 bones to make way for new offices and utilities.

Now, each department has its own space with separate climate control in each office and new furniture. The building also features new conference rooms and a break room, which was sorely needed, according to Pestana. The staff fridge was previously in one of the conference rooms. Now, town employees won't need to interrupt meetings to grab their lunches.

"Just a lot of small morale things that seem trivial until you don't have it," Pestana said.

Residents will enjoy the improved space as well, according to Pestana and Joseph. The addition area features a new clerk's desk with enough indoor space to accommodate residents waiting in line. Previously, the line would go out the door, especially during the construction period when the temporary office space was in use.

"You had 10 deep standing out in the baking sun," Joseph said. "They weren't happy by the time they got up to the counter, and rightfully so."

The building's history is memorialized throughout the structure, from the original wood used in the conference tables to a case featuring artifacts found inside the Town Hall and from around York. Currently, the case is empty save for a few bottles found in the walls of the Town Hall. Pestana said a subcommittee is working on filling the case by working with local families.

The new Town Hall also features a stage with electrical wiring and AV inputs. Bathrooms are located nearby inside the building. Pestana said the hope is that the Town Hall's new construction will encourage residents to gather for events rather than just municipal matters.

"This lawn can become a community space again, versus just a place of business," Pestana said. "It can be more than that."