Mansfield's Town Hall Welcomes Visitors Back

By Lisa Massicotte, The Chronicle

May 26, 2021

After a long 15 months, Mansfield town staff unlocked the doors to the Audrey P. Beck Municipal Building Monday and welcomed the public.

It wasn’t exactly like 2019, but it was as close as the town has come to that year since the pandemic.

Members of the public now are welcome to enter the town hall’s offices freely instead of having to schedule an appointment beforehand.

This decision to open up the Audrey P. Beck Municipal Building came after a significant drop in local COVID-19 cases.

“It’s been, I would say, as busy as it was when we were closed. It’s just that we’re interfacing with folks like we used to now as opposed to only online or over the phone like we were doing throughout the pandemic,” Mansfield Town Clerk Sara-Ann Chaine said Monday afternoon.

The first phase of the reopening of the Audrey P. Beck Municipal Building, located at 4 S. Eagleville Road, began April 5 and appointments have been required since then.

As appointments are now no longer required, the town hall hours have resumed as follows: Monday to Wednesday, 8:15 a. m. to 4:30 p.m.; Thursday, 8:15 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; and Friday, 8 a.m. to noon.

Town officials said they were pleased Monday with a very smooth reopening and were happy to see some familiar faces.

“I’ve seen a few people taking advantage of the doors being open to meet with departments. I think it’s been a pretty laid-back affair,” Mansfield Town Manager Ryan Aylesworth said.

This laid-back reopening was partly expected, as individuals are continuing to make pandemic-related decisions based on their own personal comfort levels and health status, Aylesworth explained.

“We obviously want people to do what they’re comfortable with. We’re not begging the public to come at this time, you know, because we are still circumventing a pandemic, but do feel confident that we have a safe building to offer and things are turning in the right direction,” he said.

In addition to welcoming the public inside, town staff also expressed enthusiasm over an increased sense of community between office employees.

“Today’s the first day we’re back to having staff throughout the building coming in and out throughout the day,” Chaine explained.

“It’s nice to have those friendly voices and you can tell people are smiling from their eyes. It’s nice to feel more of that clear sense of community within the building now that we’re interacting with each other.”

Aylesworth noted everything is always subject to change, as town staff consistently monitors and evaluates COVID-19 statistics to prioritize the safety of town staff and the general public.

COVID-19 protocols, such as mask-wearing and social distancing, are still in place to protect staff and members of the public.

All visitors and staff will be required to wear face masks when occupying common areas or working in close proximity to others in all town buildings, including town hall, the library and senior center.

If employees and visitors meeting together are vaccinated adults and are comfortable removing masks, they may do so.

Visitors and staff have access to hand sanitizer throughout town hall and there’s signage posted to remind them to take advantage of it.

People are also asked to remain socially distanced when passing through common areas, as well as in meetings.

Those who require services from town hall staff are encouraged to call, email and video conference when an in-person meeting is unnecessary.

“The pandemic has given us options to increase accessibility. More online access to things, more options for doing something from home rather than having to come in,” Chaine said.

By scheduling an appointment to visit town hall, individuals will be helping departments plan for safe interactions, according to the town’s release.

There will still be a locked drop box available outside of town hall for residents to drop off important paperwork if they are not comfortable to enter the building and contactless services are still available online or over the phone.

“We have made sure to make all of our services accessible and it’s extremely important that they are accessible throughout the pandemic. We’ve worked creatively with folks in all different ways to make sure their needs are met,” Chaine said.

Further information and questions should be directed to the Audrey P. Beck Municipal Building at 860-429-3302.

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