The Batavia Village Council is considering moving the village administrative offices to the Batavia Armory.

The Batavia Village Council is considering moving the village administrative offices to the Batavia Armory.
By Kelly Cantwell
Editor

The Batavia Village Council will be deciding whether or not to move the village office to the Batavia Armory or to renovate the current building in the next couple of months.

The current building, located at 389 E. Main St., needs considerable renovation to be brought to current standards. There is no elevator to the second floor, the roof is original to the building, which was built in 1960, the interior needs refurbished and the building needs new heating boilers, new windows and more, said village administrator Dennis Nichols.

This photo of the Batavia Armory is how it appeared in January of 1997, before Douglas Auxier purchased the armory from the village.
“It’s a good building, the one that we’re in, and it’s 8,000 ft approximately, but the cost to refurbish would be considerable,” Nichols said.

On the other hand, Douglas Auxier, who owns the armory, located at 65 North Second St., is willing to sell it to the village for $250,000. That building is in much better condition. Auxier refurbished the inside and put a new roof on it after he purchased it, Nichols said.

The armory does need an elevator and some cosmetic work, but Nichols still believes that purchasing and putting work into the armory will be less expensive than putting work into the current office.

Another advantage of moving to the armory is that it has a large auditorium that can accommodate 400 people that the village could use for community events. The village may also be able to rent some of the rooms in the armory, Nichols said.

Council has a few options to choose from. They can refurbish the current building, they could move into the armory and find another use for the current building or they could move into the armory and sell the current building, Nichols said.

The estimated cost for necessary repairs and to renovate the first floor of the current building is $340,900. If the addition of an elevator is included, the cost goes up to $564,800.

However, the estimated cost to renovate the armory, which includes work on the heating and ventilation, asphalt pavement, tuck-pointing exterior brick joints and repairs on air conditioning units, is $158,100. If an elevator is included, it is $373,700, but that estimate is for an outside elevator and Nichols believes the price will be less if the village puts in an indoor elevator. The price also includes replacing the fire escape stairs but Nichols is not sure they will have to do that.

If council decides to sell the current building, that will cut down on costs. It would cost the village about $180,000 more to stay in the current building. Nichols plans to list the current building for $400,000 if council decides to sell.

The police station would likely move to the armory as well if the administrative offices move there, Nichols said.

Council will need to make a decision in the next couple of months so the village can look into contracting with a roofer if council decides to stay in the current building, Nichols said. He is also looking into a comparison on utility costs for the next council meeting.

At the Feb. 8 council meeting, three members of council spoke favorably of moving, and some of the other members voiced their concerns about being certain of costs before moving forward, Nichols said.

The village’s history with the armory is less than ideal, as after village took ownership of the armory it let it fall into disrepair, Nichols said.

The armory was dedicated in 1912. It was used by the Ohio National Guard until the guard no longer needed it and the village bought the land and building.

The armory went to auction on Jan. 10, 1997. Auxier had the winning bid of $36,000.