TURNER – Selectmen received the assurances they were seeking Thursday that permits will be in hand by town meeting for an addition and reconstruction of a new town office at its current site.

At Monday night’s Board of Selectmen meeting, Chairman Dennis Richardson raised the issue of “Our being certain all necessary permits for the town office project are in hand before the board begins writing articles for the town meeting warrant; we don’t want any surprises.”

Mike Gotto of the Zoning Review Committee last night told the three members of the Town Office Building Committee and four of the town’s five selectmen in attendance “There will be no problem having the permits before town meeting.”

In answer to a question, Gotto said the only permit that is needed is from the Town Planning Board. He said the board could give preliminary approval to the project at its meeting next week, and final approval well before the March 31 town meeting when it has the final project design.

That approval, Gotto said, would be contingent upon town meeting approving a correction in the drawing of zoning lines.

He said the wording of the zoning amendments approved at last year’s town meeting is correct, but an error was made when the lines were drawn on the zoning map. He said that line does affect properties, including the town office site, all along the Nezinscot River.

Permitting for the project at the site at the intersection of routes 4 and 117 on the banks of the Nezinscot and near land formerly designated wetland has been an issue discussed at public meetings since the site was selected. Town meetings have been adding to a reserve fund for the new town office each year and the account now stands at about $387,000,

Richardson, Ralph Caldwell, Charlie Mock and Lawrence House attended last night’s meeting with Chairman Jeff Timberlake of the Town Office Committee and members Randall Murray and Laurel Gagne. President Jeffrey Ohler of the H. E. Callahan Construction Co. and Architect Paul Augusten of Phillips represented the design/build project contractors

Ohler and Augusten produced a timetable and nine pages of details which they will be discussing and revising throughout the design stage. The timetable calls for them to meet again with the town office staff for a more detailed presentation of the plans at 2 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 10. A previous meeting with the staff identified space requirements for the various offices and a survey of the existing building.

Town Office Committee members and some selectmen are expected to attend the Jan. 10 meeting, as well.

Augusten will work with Ohler in preparing a design for the building to present to a committee meeting at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 17, and another final design presentation will be made a week later on Jan. 24, if necessary.

All meetings will be held at the town office.