NEVERSINK – As the summer months swelter on, the Town of Neversink is on the hunt for a permanent solution to bring the temperature down inside Town Hall amid its ongoing efforts to improve cooling in the building.

During the town board’s monthly meeting, Neversink Deputy Supervisor and Councilperson Ric Coombe Jr. updated the board on the search for engineering guidance needed to move the project toward competitive bidding, explaining that a previous assessment of the building’s heating and cooling system fell short of providing recommendations for a replacement.

According to Coombe, the town’s goal is to develop clear specifications before requesting bids, allowing contractors to price the same scope of work rather than designing competing systems themselves.

To help move the project forward, Coombe drafted preliminary specifications for a potential mini-split system that would serve the front portion of Town Hall, including the Town Clerk’s office, Assessor’s office and central lobby. The proposal is intended only as a starting point and would still require review by an engineer.

The board discussed several possible approaches, ranging from replacing the building’s existing outdoor air conditioning equipment to installing mini-split units while continuing to utilize the current ductwork.

Pavilion work coming along well

During his report, Town Supervisor Chris Mathews highlighted the ongoing pavilion expansion project at the Fairgrounds, describing the work as going “really great.”

Mathews said work on the pavilion roof has been completed while siding installation on the expansion is now underway. The building has been wrapped and crews continue making improvements inside the kitchen.

Additional improvements include upgraded exterior lighting, electrical work, fresh gravel around the building and a new privacy fence surrounding the property's chiller units.

The board also discussed relocating surplus roof trusses behind the tennis courts before offering them for public auction, with members agreeing that a quick sale would prevent the materials from deteriorating while sitting unused.

“We've really made a lot of progress in the last month,” Mathews said. “I'm very pleased.”

Last month, the Democrat reported that Grahamsville Fair Association President Larry Bracken appeared before the board to pinpoint the expected completion date for the pavilion expansion. At the time, Mathews said he could not provide an exact completion date because of the possibility of construction delays, but expressed confidence the project would be finished well before the start of the Grahamsville Little World's Fair on Aug. 14.