The Hopkinton town clerk’s office is temporarily moving from the Bates building in Contoocook to the town hall on Franklin Pierce Highway, a move the select board approved based on advice from its lawyer.
The board voted unanimously Oct. 1 to move the office three miles up the road. Selectman Steven Whitley made the motion and was seconded by selectwoman Sara Persechino, followed by a 3-0 vote. Chairman Jim O’Brien was absent from the meeting, but he told the Monitor on Thursday that he would have voted in favor of the move.
The clerk’s office will close Tuesday for the move and reopen at the town hall Wednesday. It will move back to the Bates building in March.
Whitley’s motion was made “upon advice of counsel,” according to the minutes. The town employs Donahue, Tucker & Ciandella, also known as DTC, as its counsel.
Town officials were tight-lipped in answering questions as to why the clerk’s office is moving, notably with the midterm elections less than three weeks away.
Town Administrator Neil Cass said there is nothing wrong with the Bates building nor is the building going under renovation.
When asked if there is a personnel issue tied to the move, Cass did not answer. Asked if there are any investigations into the office, Cass deferred to O’Brien.
Asked the same questions by phone, O’Brien paused for a moment.
“I don’t want to answer that, I’d rather not,” he said. “At this time it’s a matter that was discussed and it’s a non-public matter. Other than to say that at the advice of our town counsel we made this move to move the clerk and tax collector (to town hall).”
O’Brien said the board has had “several conversations with town counsel” about the move but declined to go into specifics. He said those conversations are ongoing.
While officials have discussed consolidating the clerk’s office into town hall in the past, O’Brien said this “isn’t a pilot program” and there are no plans to make this a permanent move.
A message left for the town clerk, Charles Gangel, at the office Thursday afternoon was not immediately returned.
The board adjourned after its vote. At the following meeting on Monday, Cass and the board decided to set the move date for Tuesday next week.
“They are going to move the systems and equipment they need to do their day-to-day jobs,” O’Brien said.
As for Election Day on Nov. 6, O’Brien and Cass expect things to run smoothly. Cass admitted the timing for the move is not ideal. Elections aside, the town offices are processing budgets submitted by various town departments.
“We will make sure everything happens that has to happen,” Cass said. “It’s not the best time.”
The clerk’s office recently said goodbye to Assistant Town Clerk Carol Harless, who retired at the end of September. There are currently two people working in the Bates building; Gangle and Deputy Town Clerk Lisa Davis.
The hours for the office will remain the same (Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to noon), as will the phone number (746-3170).
(Nick Stoico can be reached at 369-3321 or nstoico@cmonitor.com.)