Town Hall to open only four days

The decision has been made to only open the Ashburnham Town Hall four days a week with extended hours on Tuesday through Thursday.

The move comes as a way to retain employees' hours but also to reduce costs in operating the building, as a way to save money as the town looks to cut more than $400,000. The goal is to reduce the hours but also not inconvenience the residents or those looking to do business with the town.

The building is currently open on Mondays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesdays through Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Fridays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The new hours, which will probably take affect sometime this month, will eliminate all five hours on Friday, according to town officials. The employees will break those five hours into a 7:30 a.m. opening some days during the week and extend the hours in evenings on every day but Monday, which already has evening hours.

The exact hours and start date were not announced at press time.