TURNER – Town officials still don’t know exactly what they want their proposed new municipal building to look like.

But they know what they don’t want, and several design architects will be solicited to help them meld acceptable appearance with cost of construction.

After nearly two hours of often-contentious debate Monday, the selectmen voted to send the current design away for consultation. The vote was 3-1, with Chairman Dennis Richardson, Angelo Terreri and Lawrence House in favor, and Ralph Caldwell opposed.

They want to know how much it will cost to “tweak” the design of their building to distinguish it from a similar building already standing a short distance away on Route 4. That building, owned by local developer Mark Duguay, houses several commercial tenants. It and the 4,482-square-foot proposed town hall building are sister designs created by the same architectural firm.

Kurt Youland, who serves on several town boards, suggested that changes need not be extensive.

“We just need to add some character to it,” he said. “We can dress it up a little bit – add some different windows, change the roof line, enclose the entrance to make an airlock.

“There are things you can do to it, and it doesn’t have to cost a lot,” he said.

Changing the design and carrying it through construction could cost as much as $40,000, depending on how much the architects charge. Selectmen instead said they hope to find a firm or designer who will do the work for a flat fee.

The decision came during a joint meeting between selectmen and New Town Hall Building Committee. The meeting was intended to resolve differences of opinion between the two boards, which have complicated the building process.

Plans for a new municipal office building have been under way for almost 10 years. A tentative design was drafted in 2006, a construction budget of $575,000 was approved during the annual town meeting in March.

But this meeting, too, had rough spots. Richardson continued to question whether or not soil composition at the proposed site, which is directly behind the existing town hall, would handle the new building.

The site also rests in a flood plain, although the town hall has not yet been submerged.

It came closest during the flood of 1987, said Town Clerk and acting Town Manager Eva Leavitt. Water rose to just below the top step leading out the back door, but never flowed into the building, she said.

A gallery of almost 30 people, including members of the public as well as various other town boards, watched and commented as selectmen continued to discuss various aspects of the project, including location, cost and appearance.

The lengthy debate was too much for some in the audience. Several became frustrated and called for action.

“People voted to put it here,” said resident Richard Keene, referring to the 2005 annual town meeting. “It should be here, it can be here and you’ve got people that can do the work. Let’s get started, because if it goes on for another year, then something’s wrong.”

“The longer we spend on this thing, the more it’s going to cost us,” said David McLaughlin.

Also Monday, Richardson announced that he will resign his seat effective June 12. Richardson is two months into his second consecutive three-year term, which expires in March 2010. He cited time constraints as the reason for his resignation.

He became the second member within a week to announce his departure. Charles Mock recently announced that he, too, would leave the board on June 12. Nomination petitions are available at town hall; 25 signatures are required and the petitions are due back by May 29. A special town election to fill both seats is scheduled to coincide with the June 12 state referendum.