Generational footprint – observertoday.com

Jun 13, 2026
OBSERVER Photos by Braden Carmen From left to right: Town Councilman Larry Ball and Supervisor Brian McAvoy are shown with representatives from Empire Development, LaBella Associates, and H.F. Lenz Co., at Friday’s groundbreaking ceremony for a new Arkwright Town Hall.

ARKWRIGHT — Friday morning was a day that many in Arkwright thought might never come. At long last, Arkwright broke ground on a new Town Hall.
Town Supervisor Brian McAvoy welcomed representatives of several companies involved in the new building project for a groundbreaking ceremony at the Town Hall site. A handful of residents were in attendance, along with Councilman Larry Ball, Town Clerk Jane Lindquist, Highway Superintendent Lisa Waldron and Deputy Superintendent Jamie Hebner, among others. A representative from state Assemblyman Andrew Molitor’s office presented an official citation to commemorate the occasion.
“This is a big deal for our town,” McAvoy said on Friday morning. “This is an investment in our community, bought and paid for, and frankly, owned by the residents and taxpayers of Arkwright.”
McAvoy said one of the questions he is asked most often as supervisor is when a new Town Hall would finally be built. The current building has been outdated and in need of an upgrade for many years.
The project was designed and prepared for bid by LaBella Associates, along with the help of H.F. Lenz Co. and Siracuse Engineers. The total cost is roughly $1.4 million, which is below the initial estimate the Town Board received.
Shown is an artist’s rendering of the new Arkwright Town Hall, which is expected to be open and operational in 2027.
The general contractor for the project is Empire Development. Electric work will be done by BECC Electric; Scobell Co. will handle mechanical work; and Wm. T. Spaeder Co. will handle the plumbing.
“We were really, really pleased with the level of interest that we got in this relatively modest public works project. We got a lot of interest in it, and we’re also super pleased that the low bidders were also responsible bidders. Everybody came ready to work,” McAvoy said.
The new Town Hall will be built on the land directly behind the current Town Hall, located at 9543 Center Road. It will also serve as a community center for events, and space is dedicated for the Town Justice Court. The building could potentially serve as an emergency shelter, if necessary.
The Town Board originally planned for a new Town Hall and Community Center to be connected to a new Highway Department garage as one all-encompassing building. However, after bids came in well over $1 million over what was expected, the Town pivoted to splitting up the needs of the Town into two separate projects. The Highway Department addition cost roughly $850,000.
“There were times when I wanted to give up, but we didn’t give up. We kept going, we pivoted, we reassessed our real needs, and we put together a plan to try to get us where we thought we had to be,” McAvoy said. “… We were patient, and the patience has paid off.”
Shown is the land for the new Arkwright Town Hall, located at 9543 Center Road, directly behind the current Town Hall.
By splitting up the project, the Highway Department has a larger footprint on its own, while still being located on the same land as the new building. The new Town Hall will be the only public meeting space for residents to gather across all 36 square miles of Arkwright. McAvoy hopes building a new Town Hall and Community Center will entice more people to view Arkwright as a great place to build a new home.
“I get that I’m the guy who happens to be in this job right now, but a lot of people worked really hard for a long time to make this a reality. This idea has been around way longer than I’ve been involved with the town,” McAvoy said.
With the work now underway, the hope of the town is that the new building will be substantially completed by the end of 2026. McAvoy said the hope is to open the new building by the spring of 2027.
The town will continue to operate out of its current Town Hall until the new building is ready. Once it is time to move over to the new building, the old structure will be demolished. The site of the current Town Hall could potentially serve as additional parking space when the time comes, though no final determination has yet been made.
“By the time we’re done with this building … we’ll have a building footprint that will serve the people of Arkwright for, literally, generations to come,” McAvoy said. “My sincere hope is that people 25, 50, 100 years from now will come to this new building … and I hope they look at the building and say, you know what, those old guys built a pretty good building.”
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