SANDWICH – Preliminary planning for renovations of the former Santander Bank building and Sandwich Public Library on 100 Route 6A and 142 Main Street, respectively, are beginning this month.
Town Manager Bud Dunham said that the first design documents for the new town office building at the Santander location will be sent to a cost estimator that will finish creating an estimate for the town sometime in the coming weeks.
“The architects have detailed enough plans that they can turn it over to a cost estimator for a better estimate than what we had when we got the money last May. So we’ll see how that comes back, we may need to adjust the plans,” said Dunham.
Town voters approved the $2.1 million purchase of the former Santander Bank property last spring.
Dunham said that insurance coverage on the building is also in place.
Current plans call for all offices with the most visitors, including the town clerk, tax collector, building inspections and permitting on the first floor, along with the town manager’s office and selectmen.
Plans also call for the addition of 38 parking spaces at the property, along with improving the septic system.
Dunham said the bidding process to find a general contractor and subcontractor will start in January and be open for a month.
The bids will be reviewed in the spring and after a contractor and subcontractor have been selected, work will begin in April.
“The goal is to go out to bid shortly after the new year, award the bid in the early spring, and hopefully have work starting in April or May, with a likely completion date by the end of the calendar year or early 2021,” said Dunham.
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