Mayor Proposes Town Hall Move To Train Station

Alternative locations for the Town Hall include the Brown House on King Street—owned by Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and the Entler Hotel, which is already owned by the town.

Dom added that the train station building would ideally suit the town’s needs for office space, parking, and meeting space. It would allow the police department to move back into the building in the center of town, which they formerly occupied, and it would save over a million dollars beacuse the town would not have to tear down their existing building on North King Street and build a new bigger structure in its place.

Sylvia Ellsworth, president of the Station at Shepherdstown organization, said she is “not willing to just hand it over” to the town. She pointed out the building is used by families from around the area. “It's not a town hall, it’s a communi-

ty center," she said. Ellsworth said she would still be against the building being taken over by the town even if it were made available 95 percent of the time to the public.“it would all change,” she said. Ellsworth has a lease with the Station at Shepherdstown for her catering business. She said she had two more years on her lease—she declined to discusss the amount.

Dentist Paul Davis has rented half the building since its renovation seven years ago. He believes the town should use its other assets and the Entler Hotel for meetings. He says his annual rent is about $13,000 a year, but he has paid approximately $5,000 in 2006, the rest being offset by a loan he made to the building for renovations. This arrangement is coming to an end he said, and was up for renegotiation soon. Davis said he has put over $250,000 into the building.

Referring to the volunteer hours local residents have put into the building over the past years, Davis said, “It is strange for so much effort by so many people to be cast aside.” Davis acknowledged that when the nonprofit’s and his lease end, the town will have the right to not renew. He would then have to find alternative space for his practice.

Davis added that the renovation money for the building was raised partly with the promise that health care services would be provided by a tenant of the building. Referring to this issue, Dom said that he had been in touch with the relevant federal body which gave the money, and they suggested that town hall could be moved into the building, if the town deemed it the highest and best use.

The Train Station in Shepherdstown was purchased by the Corporation of Shepherdstown on September 23, 1996 from the Norfolk & Western Railroad Company.

A public meeting on the future location of the town hall is scheduled for 27th September 2007.