Asharoken Unveils Plans for Village Hall

Asharoken unveiled plans for a new 2876 square foot village hall at Tuesday's village board meeting, to replace the roughly 1500 square foot existing structure damaged by Hurricane Sandy.

The new village hall will be raised on a slab to prevent flooding damage in future storms. The building will also be fortified with strapping, according to New York State code, making it resistant against high winds.

"We're required by the DEC to put it at elevation 12," said John Ross, Chair of the Village Hall Building Committee. "The high tide basically came up to elevation 10 during Sandy which is right up to the police station at the old village hall. Also, without a crawl space in there we don't have to worry about any mold or water getting in under the building."

Asharoken residents were planning for a new village hall years prior to Sandy, although it was made a priority after flood damage rendered the old building unusable. The police station and clerks offices are now located in trailers on the property and village board meetings are held in the Northport American Legion Hall.

Ross said the plans, which he designed himself, will fit in aesthetically with the community and will house a village hall, a police department, and a central meeting area.

The village is currently waiting for permits from the DEC to approve the location of the new village hall and will soon put out RFPs for estimates on the construction work. The village continues to raise funds for the project continue to through donations from residents.