Welcome everyone. We all look forward to gaining information and your ideas through this site. It will be checked regularly during the design process. Cheers, Virginia

I would like to see a Kiosk on the 1st floor that would allow the public to access ONLY the Town's website so that they can: pay fines, register for a business license, pay sales tax, register for rec programs and access other forms, etc from the www.avon.org

A bike rack for the public and/or employees

It would be nice to have a picnic table or 2 for breaks and lunch outside, this would also be a nice amenity for the public

Open office design will make it challenging to focus and block out noise and activity. White noise to reduce sound, noise cancelling headphones, and wireless headsets will be necessary. Materials to absorb sound, but carpet is not practical for spills and snacking at desk. How do we plan to assist employees who find it difficult to focus with lots of noise and activity? A private workspace that can be reserved where a door can be shut would be ideal if we are not going to have quiet space. HR/Finance privacy concerns - with no doors to shut conversations will be heard office-wide, may want to think about strategic arrangement of personnel as it will not always be possible to move to a private room. Would be nice for everyone to have some customization of their workspace as we all have different needs. This is our chance to make it look GOOD! It would be nice to have décor out of the current century with a clean, modern feel. It's nice to have an aesthetically pleasing work area - we spend most of our lives here! Colors and textiles matter. Blinds, blinds, blinds...that's a lot of windows. No cold air vents blowing down on workspaces.

Please consider a dedicated receptionist for town hall. Using various departments and employees to assist with the public can be unproductive, disruptive and a negative experience for the public. Often the public are found wandering the halls or stairs looking for assistance. Delivery drivers walk around trying to find someone to sign for packages. I think this could be eliminated with a receptionist similar to the front desk positions at the Rec Center. Having the lower level be accessible to the public is a good idea, but also consider the need to restrict access to the working levels of the building for safety reasons. Seeing the amount of restroom traffic with the La Crosse teams should be a good indication of the possible increase of wanderers that may utilize the new building and the need to provide assistance (receptionist) and assure safety. Please think about eliminating carpet. How much time and money is wasted trying to keep it clean? The current carpet looks horrible. I think there are better options out there now. Consider a wood or wood-like product that is easy to keep clean, will hold-up well and use underlayments that will help with sound-proofing and noise reduction. Do consider the need for office space for those departments that spend the majority of their day at a desk. While open-space may work for those departments whose jobs regularly take them out of the office, I don't think it is a good idea for HR, Finance, and Court. The need to have private space is apparent when you see all the employees who currently work or converse behind close doors now. Those who currently do not have an office door to close are often subject to or drawn into their fellow employees personal or professional conversations without a choice.

Having a receptionist on the first floor is key. A receptionist would be a much needed and welcoming presence to the public. A Kiosk may be a nice benefit for the public, however, without a person there to help with this, a lot of people would either have trouble using it on their own and/or have lots of questions. We do have a strong Spanish-speaking presence to think about as well. Also, the receptionist could be utilized to help various departments with their copying or laserfiching needs, with keeping and ordering office supplies for the entire building, or even with scheduling the conference rooms. Brochures or even maps if you will, for the Town of Avon, the Beaver Creek ski resort, bus schedules, restaurants, hotels - all of these could be placed attractively on the first floor and the receptionist could assist our guests with any questions. There should be a space for a police officer for the safety of our employees and also for court days.

I hope the Town Manager/Council are not considering the open office idea because it happens to be trendy in certain business circles. Respectfully, we should be considering the employee needs and job functions, as well as personality types in designing the new offices. Most of us here at town hall work at our desks all day. We are not sales people, or call center people, or college interns. Many of us are also relatively introverted types, who also happen to excel at the detail-oriented work that most of us do. As you know, personality type is fairly established, and there have been volumes written on the benefits of working with, not against, personality type in the business world. To place all of us in an open-office setting will likely jeopardize moral and our ability to concentrate. Most of us will suffer silently, because by nature we don't want to cause a stir, but that will indeed affect moral. Then there is the privacy issue for Finance and HR as well as IT. Not only for phone calls but for working on confidential documents. How this will be addressed and mitigated in an open office setting is a huge issue. Many of us are on the phone a good part of the day. Headsets are not only uncomfortable but they break like any other piece of equipment. Headsets have been tried by a number of employees and are now only used by one employee that I know of. I also hope we are not seriously thinking of replacing desktop computers with laptops. This will not only double or triple the cost of workstations, but working on multiple documents on a laptop screen is a special form of hell for older eyes. Many of us have ergonomic keyboards and there are exactly zero laptops with ergonomic keyboards. We are also trying to become a more paperless organization. This almost requires dual monitors which is a problem with most laptops without a docking station, another cost increase, and something else to break. There is also the theft/loss issue with laptops. To summarize, some personality types need privacy and physical boundaries to do their work well. Many job functions require the same. There are confidentiality issues with HR, Finance, Court, and IT functions.

Hi: Thank you for making this an open forum and requesting staff input! Super cool! I realize that a working kitchen is not of high priority which is understandable however, I would like to committee to consider the opportunities a nice working kitchen could afford to the Rec. Department. The youth and adult programming centered around cooking could be a revenue stream and diversify programming.

The Design Committee selected the following firms for interviews on August 1st. The selected firm will be entrusted with developing the programming, design, pricing, construction bid documents and construction management for the New Town Hall. Please post any questions you would like considered during the firm interviews here not later than Wednesday, July 27th. The firms are: Vertical Arts, Obermeier - Sheykhet Architects, Pierce Architects, and Davis Partnership Architects. Thank you, Virginia

Facilities Dept here; Are the trash dumpsters large enough for the expected occupancy. Is the location accessible in winter for the trash company? Probably not. Depending on what they do with the roof, if it stays the same, we will need to come up with a snow removal plan that is realistic. The entryway (bottom floor) needs a more durable flooring. The building has been closed for all these years, and the tile is still cracked in a number of places. We're going to need more plumbing for bathrooms and break rooms. The attic could use a heat activated fan to draw out the heat in the summer time. This will save on the AC bill. Xeriscaping the outside will save on maintenance and conserve water. Maybe we could partner with the Betty Ford Gardens. Eliminate the white river rocks under the Aspen trees. Aspens weep a black compound that turns all the rocks and stone underneath them black (not pretty). Think through the lighting plan to avoid high energy consumption lights (metal halide, etc.). The emergency lighting in the stairways did not seem to be up to par (look into this more). Install water fountains with filtered water bottle fillers. If the grand lobby is utilized for tourists and guests, include a children's zone (see Children's Museum of Denver). Entertaining the kids while mom and dad poke around isn't such a bad idea.

If you are considering a working kitchen, check out teenkitchenproject.org This is a very successful project whereby local chefs work with teens interested in the culinary arts. Meals are prepared for locals in need (elderly, etc.) It's a great cause with a lot of positive energy. We have a lot of chefs in the valley, we have a lot of teens needing occupational skills, and there are always hungry mouths that can use a good meal and a smile. Check it out!

We should consider an employee storage space that could be for bikes in the Summer and skis/boots in the winter. Look around at how many employees are biking to and from work, and how many have skis, etc. in their offices in the winter. We shouldn't discourage this... it keeps everyone healthy!

At Swift Gulch Rd. the modular has a top of the line surge protector. It may be worth moving it to the new building. From town electrician.

Visited Davis Partners and saw the "Green Wall", seems very high maintenance. They hired a plant maintenance firm. Also visited Elements furniture store with the Koi pond and trickling water for background noise. Both seem extravagant, but if there are thoughts being pondered around something like that, how about a waterfall wall like you see in spas (relaxing, gentle white noise)

After the visit to Denver and seeing the glass partitions, it might be wise to not use clear glass for everyone to grab and look over when visiting or at your desk -- fingerprints smudges etc. United Way said they had to hire someone to clean those glass partitions each day. Not for us, we can't even see out the windows in this building. Who knows the last time they were cleaned.

If anyone ever spent any amount of time in the Finance/HR area you would realize exactly how much noise there is on a regular basis. This is most noted on the current open office areas where there is sometimes it seems constant chatter amongst themselves or with foot traffic. I an only hope there will be plenty of 'quiet pods' available for those who find the constant noise distracting. Also note that you can hear personal cell phones ringing or dinging from one end of the hall to the other. TOA really needs to consider some form of offices for this group to keep the distractions and noise down. It seems that we are about to be bunched up even closer than we are now which means this is just going to be compounded. What is the purpose of leaving a floor empty so we can be bunched up together?

I like the idea of having a water feature--both to help create background noise, and as an aesthetic. In visiting Denver, we saw a pretty big office Koi pond, which was cool but similar to a green wall or plant features, it would need regular maintenance. A waterfall or water 'tinkler' would be ideal. I agree that bike and ski racks should be considered within the 'employee storage' realm. I also think it would be nice to have a 'kids zone' especially if we are thinking of the main level as a guest services/welcome center. Perhaps we could partner with Walking Mountains in brainstorming this area, which could help drive business to their organization and would align with our arts, education, and cultural center objectives. I would like to see big (garage?) doors that open to the Main Street Mall seasonally. I think it would help bring people in and encourage engagement among residents and visitors.

Update on comments after first reveal. Cons - Coffee pot on third floor but no refrigerator? Quick look in Administration's 1st floor refrigerator and it's obvious most take milk or cream with their coffee or prefer cool drinks. Having a cup a coffee will require going to 2nd floor. Not sure if there is a water cooler on the 3rd floor, so a trip to another floor might be necessary. While the space is 'Huge' majority of 'offices' are 6X6 (7?) cubicles. 3rd floor lacks adequate huddle rooms to reduce the disruptive conversations among employees with questions or needing assistance. Huddle or conference rooms will need printers and computers in order to conduct conversations outside the 'cubicle'. The majority of offices are for managers who state they are in meetings all the time, do the meetings take place in their office or conference space? Is an office really needed. The design is a 'trend setting example' but if this is efficient and effective is doubtful. Like they say keep your friends close and your enemies closer, I think this much closeness will invite hostility rather them team-building. It seems that every regular task will require extra effort of work. Need Assessment; Cell phone policy. Quiet conversation training. Headphone allowance. Copier and Printer each floor.