AFTON – The Town of Afton voted down a proposition Tuesday to borrow $400,000 to combine a new town hall and court room with the highway garage project on state Route 7.
FEMA approved up to $515,000, or 75 percent of the cost to replace the previous garage after it was irreparably damaged during the severe floods of 2006. The town maintains $215,000 in a capital building fund which would be used in part to cover the remainder of the project in conjunction with site preparation work that is counted as “work in trade.”
Supervisor John Lawrence, R-Afton, said the question put to voters this week sought to include the town hall and court in the same new building as the highway garage with an additional $400,000 bank bond to cover the additional costs. Repayment would have been spaced over a period of 20 years at a 3.9 percent interest rate, approximately $29,200 each year, he said.
The proposition failed Tuesday, by a vote of 345-190.
“I feel very good that there was such a show of public opinion on this issue,” said Lawrence. “Do I wish it had gone the other way? Yes. But I’m very happy with the number of people that turned out.”
Lawrence explained his support of the project stemmed from health and safety concerns in the current town hall, located at 169 Main St., and a desire to upgrade the building in a cost-effective manner.
“The building has been there since 1869, and the repairs that we’d have to do to bring it to municipal code are much more expensive than what a private operator could do,” he explained, citing mold in the basement and a lack of an elevator to the second floor as a few of the main concerns.
An assessment of the building by an architect revealed an estimated $388,000 worth of repairs and additions to bring the building up to code, said Lawrence.
“We don’t have plans for the current building right now,” said Lawrence. “But we will address any serious issues that come up ... at this point there isn’t anything we have to do right now, but down the road that might not be true.”
The proposition failed after Afton residents took issue with the proposed building plan. In particular, an implied tax increase as well as a desire to keep the town hall “in a central location” were topics of discussion.
“During these hard economic times, it doesn’t make sense to raise taxes for any reason,” said Mary Jo Long, who has served on the town council for six years and opposed the proposal. “Plus, the issue of empty storefronts is a blight and the loss of the town hall on Main Street would be promoting that blight.”
Long said she believes moving the town hall out of the center of the village would inhibit many individuals who combine visits with everyday errands. People who rely on walking to the town hall for voting and voicing opinions would also be hindered, she said.
Additionally, Long expressed a concern that connecting the three buildings would be “a bad idea” due to dust and diesel fumes emanating from the highway garage section of the building.
With the proposed plan scrapped, the board will now begin the process of following through with the original highway garage building plan, Lawrence confirmed.
The first step will be to make a motion at the town board meeting on Thursday for a permissive referendum on construction of the public works garage. Lawrence said there will likely be a public forum next month for people to voice any other concerns.
“If that goes well, then we’ll put the construction plans out to bid and take it from there,” said Lawrence. “We hope to get the construction under way as soon as possible.”
Long said she supports the construction of the garage as a stand-alone building and agreed that the project should move forward.
“I hope the rest of the board will agree to move forward on building the new garage ... the building we’re currently using is not well insulated so we have to pay out the nose for heat,” she said. “I’m glad this vote has got people talking about it and thinking about it ... It’s encouraged others to think about the future of Afton.”