AFTON – There will be a vote in the town of Afton on Feb. 7 to determine whether the town will take out a $400,000 loan to move the town offices to Rt. 7, outside the village.
According to former Supervisor Robert Briggs, the desire to change the location of the town hall, which has been discussed numerous times in the past, is primarily monetary, but also involves concerns with damage and mold to the structure as well as a lack of handicap accessible entrances and bathrooms.
Current Supervisor John Lawrence explained the project would combine four town facilities (town hall, the courthouse, the storage garage and a meeting room) which are currently serviced and heated separately, into one building. This, Lawrence explained, would provide a convenience and accessibility to members of the community.
“The current buildings are not economically heated and functionally the maintenance is very expensive,” he stated. “We have an opportunity to save money on utilities by combining the structures.”
Briggs explained that the plans for a new highway garage had already been drawn up, following the loss of the previous garage during the floods of 2006, and FEMA had provided a $515,000 grant for reconstruction.
Lawrence said the total cost of the project would equate to approximately $1.2 million. Besides the FEMA grant, the town has $200,000 in a capital reserve fund which would be applied to the project. Both the loan and a request to utilize the reserve fund will be included in the Feb. 7 vote.
He went on to explain that NBT Bank had already reviewed and approved a municipal bond at 3.9 percent interest. Payments would equal approximately $20,000 a year paid over a 20-year period.
