NEWINGTON - Town Hall Renovations Project Building Committee Chair Chris Miner presented Quisenberry Arcari Architects, LLC as their choice firm for the redesign of the aged municipal building Tuesday night, with the Town Council opting to vote at its next meeting after a brief exchange about the interview process.

       Unaffiliated Councilor Maureen Klett raised the issue, pointing to the fact that the Committee’s final interviews were held in executive session-a move Miner said was made in order to protect the town from any liability issues that might arise from discussing individual project bids in a public forum.

       â€�"I personally don’t think a transparent process is holding something in executive session so nobody knows who the other individuals are who applied for the same work-it’s not something I’m comfortable with or familiar with,” Klett said after a brief statement from Miner and Principal Architect Tom Arcari.

       Miner said that the Committee had â€�"struggled” with the decision, initially leaning toward holding the final interviews in public. After assessing the level of liability-related risk, they opted for closed door meetings with 5 of the 14 responding firms.

       Both Miner and Administrative Services Director Jeff Baron said that individual bid information will become available after a contract with Quisenberry Arcari is finalized.

       â€�"There I have a problem-I don’t know if I can vote without the means to evaluate a decision,” Klett said.

       Miner, as well as Councilors Dave Nagel and Jim Marocchini-both of whom also serve on the Committee-pointed to a unanimous decision across party lines to propose the hiring of Quisenberry Arcari.

       Councilor Beth DelBuono said that while she â€�"understands [Klett’s] concerns”, she believes that the Committee ultimately made the right decision to avoid the liability risks.

       â€�"We have to some degree trust that Committee,” she said. â€�"The fact that both sides were united helps me to make my decision.”

       As for Arcari, he and his firm will be tasked with resizing the building for less physical space, while creating additional â€�"usable space”-currently at an estimated 46,000 square feet of the 96,000 square foot facility.

       In conversations a couple of weeks ago, Arcari expressed optimism, stating that he suspects a likelihood of â€�"efficiencies” to be found, and that the vision expressed by the Committee is â€�"not unrealistic”.

       The Committee is also looking to build a larger Mortensen Community Center with the inclusion of a double gymnasium/multi-purpose venue that could function as meeting space.

       If the Council approves the hire, this will not be the first Newington project taken on by the Farmington-based firm-Quisenberry Arcari designed both of the town’s middle school STEM academies, and is currently at work on the Newington High School career technical renovations.

       â€�"We’re currently doing some successful projects in the community,” Aracari said. â€�"We like to think we have a very positive relationship, and we’d like to continue that.”