Thompson’s Station Getting Ready to Build New Town Hall

Thompson’s Station needs more room.

The town hall does, anyway.

Town leaders are currently waiting for final designs for a new town hall, to be built in a lot next to the community center. The plans and designs are still being made, and more details will be available in the coming weeks.

“We will be finalizing the design in the next few weeks,” Joe Cosentini, town administrator, said. “It will be a two-story, very traditional looking building, and will add several offices for us so we can expand staff a little bit and provide a more professional environment to run the town out of.”
Since 2008, the town government has operated out of the old train depot at 1550 Thompson’s Station Road West.
In 2014 the town had made plans to actually move into the community center just down the street.
“We had talked about expanding the community center, but this sort of trumped that with the lot next to it,” Cosentini said.
“We are just running out of space, and with this will be able to provide more services and get more involved in certain things and to do that we need this.”
The designs could be finalized for approval by the February Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting. From there, Mayor Corey Napier hopes that they could put out bids and break ground by May.
“And then maybe 18 months to get it built,” he said. “We are looking at two phases, really, the first is to build the town hall with the offices and phase two would be connecting it to and re-doing our beautiful community center. And make it look of the two complement each other. It will be really a community gathering place. We have been talking about this and saving money for years.”
The two buildings, he said, will complement each other and connect with nearby Preservation Park and green space.
The new town hall is more than just an office for the town government. It is a symbol of where Thompson’s Station has been, and where it will go.
“You can’t double the size of a town in a few years and not need to expand, but the design — a mix of art deco and Southern architecture — it will feel and look timeless,” Napier said. “We want it to send a message– particularly to the private sector– that the town is investing in this downtown area and want to see it flourish and grow.”
Originally town leaders looked at perhaps moving the hall to a different area, but felt that with their downtown development plans that the center of town is where the town hall belongs, according to Napier.
The old train depot, once the town moves out of it, will likely be converted into a visitor’s center or community library and free-wifi area.
“We really want it to be a special town hall, not just something that feels like some sort of concrete bunker,” Napier said.