By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

(March 19, 2026) Town of Berlin staff and officials are gearing up to move out of Town Hall as the long-awaited structural renovation project begins. Meetings will be relocated to the library and police department until the work has been completed.

Berlin Mayor Zack Tyndall said last week that the next Town Council meeting, scheduled for March 23, and all subsequent meetings until further notice will be held at the Berlin Library, located at 13 Harrison Avenue. Boards and commissions will gather at the Berlin Police Department. The police building is situated at 129 Decatur Street.

The mayor said members and individuals looking to attend commission and board meetings should enter the police department around the side entrance.

Meeting locations and times are advertised on the Town of Berlin’s official website. Additionally, Tyndall said that those who plan to view the meetings live and in person should check the municipality’s social media channels a few days before to confirm the venue.

“The renovation of Town Hall is moving forward … everybody is packing up. It’s going to be go, go, go until it’s not,” said Town Administrator Mary Bohlen at last week’s Town Council meeting.

Customer service will also move out of Town Hall and relocate to the Welcome Center.

“They will be open to the public for people to come in and pay their bills,” Bohlen added. “I would advise that if you’re looking for anyone other than customer service, call or email. That will be the easiest way to reach out.”

The rearrangement comes as the municipality prepares to revamp its outdated Town Hall building.

In February, the Town Council awarded the project’s construction contract to Keller Brothers for a total of $3,156,693. This includes a base bid of $2.39 million, a contingency of $260,000, an elevator at $204,999, and — contingent on the future presentation of an itemized list for action — $300,703 for furniture.

The endeavor was initially expected to cost around $2.5 million. However, unforeseen circumstances have driven the price higher, Tyndall said last month.

“When we originally came up with the amount we thought we would need for Town Hall renovations, that was us throwing something against the board,” he said at the February meeting. “And along the way … we did not anticipate a full HVAC replacement; we did not expect the well failures with the geothermal unit …This bid includes making sure we replace those things.”

The new meeting locations will be advertised on the town’s website and social media accounts.