BEL AIR, MD — In the weeks since the foundation for the new and improved Bel Air Town Hall was laid in early March, work has been clipping along at the Hickory Avenue site.

"Construction is currently back on schedule," Director of Public Works Steve Kline told the Bel Air Board of Town Commissioners at a Tuesday evening work session. "We were a little behind because of the wet soil."

Crews "had to dig out a lot of the wet soils and fill them with stone," Kline said, "but we're beyond that now."

Whiting-Turner personnel are roughing in the ground floor this week, Kline said. Cold weather has slowed down the concrete work, but personnel were handling that in the afternoons.

The site is being prepped for mechanical and electrical work.

"Some light poles and bases are going to be erected in the south parking area this week," Kline said.

Town staff are still finalizing plans with the furniture contractor for pieces like desks and chairs.

"Because of the state we are in, [the wait] is about a year out," Kline said, alluding to supply chain challenges that remain from the pandemic. He said the timing will be OK, since the renovation is not going to be complete for another year.

"The exterior wall mockup should be complete in the next week or so," Kline said. It is behind the marquee on Hickory Avenue and will show the trim and brickwork that will be on the exterior.

"It's all running along very smoothly," Kline said.

Mayor Kevin Bianca asked how long the large pieces of equipment will be in place.

"There will be big equipment here the entire time," Kline said. "You might not have the bulldozers and backhoes, but we'll have lifts."

The 11,000-square-foot renovation and expansion is slated to take 18 months to complete.

A groundbreaking for the more than $10 million project was held in mid-December.

Bel Air Town Hall, which houses both government offices and the police station, has undergone two minor renovations in its nearly 60-year history. Neither renovation expanded the footprint of the building, according to town officials.

Part of the motivation for the construction project is to enable the town to update its police station.

The current space that houses the Bel Air Police Department — under Town Hall — presents challenges for staffing, storing evidence and keeping detainees. It is also out of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and does not meet law enforcement accreditation standards.

In July, the town of Bel Air raised taxes for the first time since 2004 by 4 cents per $100 of assessable value of real and personal property taxes. About 3 cents were slated to go toward the debt on the project to expand the Bel Air Town Hall and police station.

"I thought last year was a tough budget," Town Administrator Jesse Bane said Tuesday. "But this year's [will be] even tougher."

Work sessions on the upcoming budget will begin in April.

The federal government gave the town about $10 million through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which provided $130 billion for local governments around the country. About $3.8 million of the funds for Bel Air will go toward renovation of Town Hall, according to Finance Director Lisa Moody.

The total cost for the Town Hall project will likely be more than $12.7 million, town officials determined in October upon signing a $10.2 million contract for construction.

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