Somerville selectmen have been considering the future of the old Sand Hill School building on Sand Hill Road, which they said at a regular meeting Tuesday night had last been used in the early 1970s. The town will hold a hearing on the future of the building sometime in late January, they said.
The town wants to build a new town office, as the existing office space adjoining the Somerville Elementary School is too small. Fairly certain the condition of the old school is beyond repair, selectmen want to build another in its place and use the replicated building as a new town office.
During the discussion on Dec. 30, selectmen implied the cost to restore the old building would exceed the cost to build a new one.
If the town approves the project, the building would function as the town office and would be built on the same footprint as the Sand Hill schoolhouse.
In order for this issue to be included as a warrant article in the March town meeting, a public hearing must be held. The selectmen want to discuss the fate of the schoolhouse and explore cost comparisons between restoration efforts and rebuilding.
“We’ve discussed this way too long,” selectman David Stanley said. “You could build a really nice building up there, but it’s up to the people.”
