POTSDAM — The state has given the town of Potsdam the green light to proceed with its renovations of 35 Market St.

The town is planning to convert its former office into court space. Town employees vacated the building for a temporary space at 12 Elm St. earlier this month to prepare for the renovations.

However, the plans hit a snag earlier this year. The municipal building is on the National Register of Historic Places, a designation that allowed the town to obtain a $300,000 matching grant from the state for work on it.

But with the money came the condition that all aspects of the construction must be approved by state historic preservation officials.

Town plans called for an elevator in the corner of the building, where the clerk’s office is stationed. But after sending its blueprints to the state, the town found out the plan was not approved. Instead, the State Historic Preservation Office suggested the elevator run in the middle of the town hall.

Preservation officials have since let the town proceed with its original plans, said Supervisor Marie C. Regan Tuesday night.

“As you know, we had some trouble awhile back,” Ms. Regan said.

When state officials visited the building recently, they “quickly realized the inside has been changed drastically over the last 115 years and really doesn’t have great historical significance,” Ms. Regan said, prompting them to let the town proceed with its initial plans.

Thousands of readers like you have made Northern New York Newspapers the number one ranked website* for local news and sports coverage in the north country.

You can continue on to this article in a few seconds, or you can visit one of our websites:

• Watertown Daily Times
• The Ogdensburg Journal
• Daily Courier-Observer