TOWN OF MANLIUS – Residents of the town of Manlius will likely have the opportunity to vote on the town’s plan to purchase property and construct a new town hall and police station at an as-yet undetermined location. At last Wednesday’s Manlius Town Board meeting, Supervisor John Deer said it was the board’s intention to have a referendum on the November 2025 ballot that would allow voters to decide whether the town issues bonds for the construction of a new town hall. That announcement came following a presentation on the state of the current town hall on Brooklea Drive and the estimated costs to rehabilitate and expand the building to bring it up to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and current court standards. Earlier this year, the town contracted with VIP Architecture to provide an assessment of the current town hall. Among the building’s shortcomings are a lack of compliance with current ADA and fire safety standards, as well as a courtroom that is too small to safely separate incarcerated defendants from the public, according to the report. Additionally, the roof is leaking and needs to be replaced, the asphalt in the parking lots and upper loop driveway is in poor condition, there are cracks in the building’s foundation and most of the mechanical systems are beyond their useful lifespan, the report states. VIP estimates the cost to renovate the building is $4 to $5 million, and building an addition that would include an elevator and resolve the courtroom and town hall space issues would cost an additional $5 to $7 million for a total cost of between $9 and $12 million. Deer said the town is considering several parcels for a new town hall and police facility and expects to make cost estimates for the property purchase and construction public by July. The town is also studying the cost of constructing a standalone facility for the Town of Manlius Police Department and Deer said the town board’s intention is to move forward with the renovations of the current town hall and beginning planning for a new standalone police station should the bonding referendum fail. “We have two facilities that are not meeting our needs, and so we have tried to provide every option that is available to the public,” he said. “At the end of the day, what happens to our facilities, how that public money is spent, is going to be a decision made by the taxpayers at the referendum.” Once all the estimated costs are available, the board plans to embark on an education campaign to ensure voters understand the ramifications of both options. “[Residents will] see the cost of the new police station plus the cost of the renovations to this building, and they’ll be able to compare that to the cost of a brand-new facility,” Deer said. Manlius Town Hall was originally constructed in the 1960s and last renovated in the 1980s. The town has leased space in the village of Manlius municipal building for the police department since the department was formed in 1985.