WINDSOR
Windsor’s town council discussed plans and cost estimates for three municipal construction projects during its November meeting, held Tuesday in the council chamber of Windsor’s municipal building.

Up for consideration were two proposals for the Church Street and Shiloh Drive sidewalk projects, building plans for a new public works building, and two proposals for a new town hall.

The first proposal for the Church Street/Shiloh Drive sidewalk projects specified open ditch drainage and carried a cost estimate of $588,000. The second proposal included curb and gutter drainage with a cost estimate of $1,061,000. Both estimates were prepared by Kimley Horn, a Virginia Beach-based construction firm.

Town Manager Michael Stallings suggested that the project might qualify for federal or state grant funds to help offset the cost of construction, but to qualify, the sidewalks would need logical beginning and end points, meaning they would need to connect two points rather than dead end.

Plans for the new public works building describe a 50 foot by 80 foot building and will likely cost around $230,000 based on a previous estimate.

Stallings said that a specific cost estimate for the current set of plans has not yet been developed.

The main discussion surrounding the plans for the new municipal building centered around whether the design should be for a one-story or two-story building. The plans, prepared by Moseley Architects, estimate a cost of $3.6 million for a one-story building and $4.3 million for two stories. The building may include a vaulted ceiling for an extra $100,000, and, should the council vote in favor of the two-story option, the town manager’s office and the planning and zoning department would be on the second floor.

Councilwoman Patty Flemming was not particularly enthused with either design.

“One looks like a funeral home and the other one, your guess is as good as mine; they’re ugly,” Flemming said.

The council is continuing to review and propose updates to Windsor’s Town Code, focusing this month on sections 126, which deals with street repairs, and 130, which deals with taxation. The town’s treasurer, Christy Jernigan, said that the town’s municipal taxes were recently mailed to residents.