Phillipsburg wants to stay in its temporary town hall another year. After that ? – lehighvalleylive.com

It was an elementary school. For almost three years now, its been Phillipsburgs temporary town hall. And it may remain so for another year and a half.

The municipal government wants to extend its rent-free agreement for the Freeman School with the school board through September 2021. After that, all options are on the table, Mayor Todd Tersigni told lehighvalleylive.com.

The municipal offices moved in 2017 due to mold in town hall on Corliss Avenue. The arrangement through September 2020 allows the town to use the school and the district to use a bus garage, both at no cost except utilities. The same lease allows the Phillipsburg police to use the former Andover-Morris Elementary School as a headquarters.

In a recent report to the town council, Tersigni said he wants to extend the lease through September 2021. Schools Superintendent Greg Troxell said no formal action is expected at the boards next meeting on Monday, but it appears they are desirous to assist the town.

A desk is set up in an old Freeman Elementary School classroom in October 2017 as Phillipsburg's municipal offices move in.Steve Novak | For lehighvalleylive.com

The extension would give the town government more time to find a permanent solution. Before Tersigni took office in January, it had appeared town hall would return to the Corliss Avenue building after remediation. But the new mayor said he is looking at all kinds of solutions.

In a previous stint on town council, Tersigni advocated moving town hall to South Main Street, where it was until the Corliss Avenue building went up in the 1970s.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveNovakLVL and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

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Phillipsburg wants to stay in its temporary town hall another year. After that ? - lehighvalleylive.com