ORANGE — The Selectboard has voted to designate the Orange Armory as surplus property, the first step for the town in ridding itself of the 111-year-old structure.

The armory, located at 135 East Main St., has fallen into disrepair. The Selectboard voted in October 2021 to close it, temporarily relocate the municipal offices that were based there, and work out a lease to operate out of the rectory of the former Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church. While Selectboard member Julie Davis was not present during last week’s vote, the remainder of the board voted unanimously to declare the building as surplus.

“I think it’s time we settled which direction the town is going to go with this,” Chair Tom Smith said shortly before Clerk Andrew Smith made the motion that Vice Chair Pat Lussier seconded.

The building and land are valued at approximately $2.1 million, according to a fiscal year 2024 report of assessed land values in Orange that is available on the town website.

Town Administrator Matthew Fortier told the Greenfield Recorder in an email that there are several more steps involved in relinquishing the armory.

“[I’d] say we are on step 1.5,” Fortier said.

After determining the property’s value, the remaining steps involve developing and distributing a request for proposals, reviewing and evaluating the ideas received, submitting disclosures, executing a contract and retaining records.

According to Preservation Massachusetts Inc., a statewide historic preservation education and advocacy organization, the Orange Armory was named one of Massachusetts’ Most Endangered Historic Resources. The building was dedicated in 1913 as a home for Company E, 2nd Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, which served in the Spanish-American War and World War I. In 1975, ownership of the building was transferred to the town.

Tom Smith started last week’s discussion on declaring the building surplus by mentioning that in fiscal year 2023, the town spent $3,487.22 on electricity in “a building that was not occupied.”

Andrew Smith mentioned the Selectboard has had numerous discussions about the armory and the conversation has been exhausted.

“Everyone that I have spoken with in town ... I didn’t keep a checklist or anything ... do not want their tax dollars to fund the potential upkeep of the armory,” he said.

Walker Powell, the town’s community development director, attended the meeting virtually and said there is no interest in the building, given its current condition. Lussier mentioned she would like to acquire grants to renovate the building “to the extent that it can be and then see if there is interest from any developers to do anything with it.”

“We don’t have any reasonable, local use for a building of that size,” she said, “without millions and millions and millions and millions of dollars in renovations.”

But resident Richard Sheridan, whose tenure on the Selectboard ended on Jan. 31, still sits on the Armory Commission and has vowed to save the structure from demolition, arguing it is salvageable and structurally sound.

Despite their vote to declare the Orange Armory as surplus property, Selectboard members also voted to appoint Lynn Price as the Armory Commission’s fifth member.

“I can’t see it doing any harm,” Lussier said.

Selectboard member Jane Peirce said she did not see the point of adding members to the commission but did not want to get into “a big cage fight” on the subject.

“Let’s fully populate the Armory Commission and move forward,” she said before the board’s unanimous vote.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.