SOUTH DEERFIELD — With the Deerfield Selectboard’s contract approval on Wednesday, Amherst-based Kuhn Riddle Architects will create a conceptual design for the 1888 Building’s transformation into municipal offices.

Through its now-complete pre-design phase, the architecture firm has evaluated the 135-year-old, three-story brick building and determined the needs of the town. With this new contract in hand, it will now present up to three site concepts and develop cost estimates for the longstanding project. The Selectboard approved the $124,700 contract, as well as $30,000 to project manager Project Planning Professionals (P3), with funding for each either coming out of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) or Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds.

“They’ve been working with [Selectboard Chair Tim Hilchey], myself and members of the Building Advisory Committee … to shape how this project will unfold,” Planning and Economic Development Coordinator Christopher Dunne said Wednesday evening. “We’ve gotten to a point where we feel comfortable with moving to the next step and signing a contract.”

As part of this process, Kuhn Riddle Architects will hold at least two community engagement meetings to seek resident input. The first is likely to be scheduled in late August or early September.

“It will be a cornerstone of the developing campus of town amenities including the current town offices and police station, athletic fields and the coming library addition,” Kuhn Riddle Architects states in its proposal.

The approval of Wednesday’s contract kicks off a planning blitz ahead of an October Special Town Meeting, as the town hopes to have conceptual designs finished, secure additional CPA funding, complete final construction drawings and put the project out to bid in spring 2025, Hilchey said.

As of right now, the project is expected to cost the town approximately $6.5 million and taxpayers should not have to directly foot any of the bill. In March, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern secured a $4 million earmark for the project through federal spending legislation and the town will be coming before voters at October’s Special Town Meeting to request approximately $4 million in CPA money to finish off the project, which will also help cover any contingency costs.

Original projections from a Boston-based architect had a price tag of $11 million, but the town decided to try again, which brought a revised estimate this spring. The first proposal used every part of the 1888 Building from the basement to the third floor, which would have required a costly elevator installation, as well as extensive modifications to those two floors.

“The new design we’re pursuing is a lot more user-friendly and affordable, so we’re looking at not seeing a need to borrow money. … Having a local architect makes a heck of a lot of difference,” Hilchey said. “I’m really thrilled. … The plans are so much better than what we were trying to do before.”

Hilchey said the project will come before the Community Preservation Committee for discussion and a potential recommendation on Aug. 14.

If completed, the renovated 1888 Building will serve as one of the key pieces of the town’s South Deerfield revitalization initiative, which envisions a campus — centered around the town common, Tilton Library and Town Hall — that is intended to improve the walkability and accessibility around South Deerfield. The Leary Lot, which is under construction now, will be the first of those campus projects to be completed.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.