POTSDAM — Town and village officials looked at three possible layouts for a shared courtroom Tuesday.

Engineer Aaron B. Jarvis and architect Brooks A. Washburn laid out rough blueprints they created for courtrooms in the civic center, town hall and Clarkson University's downtown Snell Hall.

"Any one of these designs that's developed would find improvements and changes," Mr. Brooks said.

All three plans incorporated the latest state court requirements, as well as recommendations from the joint committee.

Mr. Jarvis consulted with Mr. Brooks when creating the Snell Hall plan. He suggested using the first-floor east wing, below the auditorium. The 7,000-square-foot space could accommodate village and town offices along both sides of the hallway, and a joint courtroom at the end of the corridor.

The town is also considering Snell's first-floor north wing — right around the corner from the proposed court — for its offices.

"Now that we know that there's plenty of space to do it, the town needs to talk to Clarkson about feasible lease rates," Mr. Jarvis said.

Town Supervisor Marie C. Regan said she has been in contact with Gard M. Meserve, the college's chief information officer, and is under the impression that the municipality would have to pay for any renovations, and could lease a portion of the building. She is still researching what restrictions there are for spending taxpayer dollars to renovate a building that isn't owned by the town.

"It's vague. It looks like it's not illegal, but the lease has to have mitigating language that balances what you put into the building," the supervisor said.

Mr. Brooks's civic center plan would add a second floor court where the high ceiling above the Potsdam Public Library is now. The village court is already above that space, where the balcony used to be when the building was a theater. That combined court would take up about 6,000 square feet.

Mrs. Regan suggested that library officials be included in future discussions of the civic center court.

Mr. Jarvis drafted the town hall plan, which suggested keeping the courtroom upstairs and clerk offices downstairs, with file storage in the basement. He said the 35 Market St. building back wall would have to be fixed, and its heating system redone.

The supervisor said that if the village decides not to share space, the town would lean toward using its current headquarters for the court simply because if it moves out, the municipality will need to rehabilitate the building anyway.

"There you maintain a downtown presence in a building people have said is very, very valuable and should be used," town Councilman Michael J. Zagrobelny said.

"That's called 'too late smart,'" replied Deputy Mayor Ruth F. Garner, who has criticized the town for letting its hall fall into disrepair.

She added that she was confused by the Snell Hall plans, because she was not invited to tour the building along with the entire Town Council earlier this summer.

Mrs. Garner also asked whether the joint committee could make a decision about sharing court space if the town hasn't yet decided whether and where to relocate its offices.

"It's the chicken or the egg. Whichever happens first will influence the other," Mr. Brooks said.

Trustee Steven W. Zagrobelny asked Mr. Jarvis and Mr. Brooks to work on estimates for how much it would cost to renovate the three spaces, and said village Administrator Michael D. Weil and Treasurer David H. Fenton could help figure out operating expenses for each option.

Mrs. Garner said Mr. Fenton would first need the permission of the mayor and the village Board of Trustees to work on the figures.