The 4,826-square-foot new wing of the town hall has several offices including the Town of Saugerties Building and Zoning departments, conference rooms, rest rooms, and also houses Cable Lighthouse TV channel 23, and the Economic Development Committee.

The interior of the renovated warehouse space echoes the streetscape of the Village of Saugerties, with building facades fashioned out of steel mesh and corrugated metal attached to the walls. One can even pick out the distinctive arch of the Orpheum looming just outside of the conference room. Lamps line the “streets,” and park benches installed to complete the illusion.

Adding to the hometown feel is a panorama mural of the beautiful local landscapes, including the Saugerties lighthouse, each panel completed by a different local artist. The idea behind the mural was to bring the outdoors in and to brighten a windowless corridor with the community’s vision of its own town. I designed the mural consisting of over seventy 4’ x 4 ‘panels, which were given to sixty-five local artists to paint in their unique style from small four-by-four-inch color photographs of their section of the mural.

We utilized “green” principles such as radiant heat, non-toxic, natural flooring materials, natural light, energy-saving lighting, and recycled building materials to provide a healthy environment for all who enter the building, and long-term savings in energy costs. All of the renovation work was completed “in house” by Town of Saugerties Parks and Recreation Manager and Town employees. Between the local town labor and community artists, and the creative use of recycled and green materials, the project cost significantly undercut typical construction costs.
“The work atmosphere now is fantastic,” said Building Department head Alvah Weeks. ” Productivity is way up…the colors are great. It’s a pleasure to work here.”