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Milton City Hall could vacate Shaw building, pave way for library expansion

MILTON--It’s looking more likely that Milton City Hall could vacate the Shaw Municipal Center and pave the way for Milton Public Library to expand inside the 21,000-square foot building.

Tuesday night, the city council unanimously approved a plan to get mechanical drawings ready for potential bids on a $2.5 million dollar combined police station/City Hall at 710 N. Janesville St.

On the heels of that decision, the council and dozens of residents heard a presentation by Library Board President Bill Wilson on the prospect of expanding Milton Public Library to fill at least two of the Shaw building’s three floors—about 15,000 square feet of space—should City Hall move out.

Wilson told the city council that the library board and its backers would “work tirelessly to try to deliver” on a plan to turn Milton Public Library into a centerpiece and a “destination” to draw people into the city for the next 50 years.

Pointing to map of the future Milton Highway 26 bypass, which is slated for completion in 2014, Wilson pointed to a map that showed the bypass, then he pointed to an orange dot that marked the Parkview Drive corridor, the city’s east side downtown which the Shaw building is near.

“We want to try to draw people to that orange dot,” Wilson said.

Wilson’s presentation was punctuated by supportive comments from the council, Mayor Tom Chesmore, and several residents who packed the council chambers Tuesday.

It followed a relatively quick discussion of cost-cutting measures by consultant Angus-Young Associates to bring the proposed police department/City Hall project in line with a city budget of $2.5 million.

For more on this story, read Wednesday's Gazette, read The Gazette's e-edition, or check back at gazettextra.com