CASTLETON, Vt. -
Residents in Castleton will decide whether to build a new municipal building on Town Meeting Day.
Town offices were moved to modular units this summer when the current building became uninhabitable due to mold and structural issues.
Now, town officials want to build a new $2 million facility that would house town offices, police, fire, and emergency responders. But many in the town would rather renovate the existing building-- an historic structure in the village.
"The old building was never intended to be a Town Hall. It's a nice building, it fits nicely in the village, but it was never built for a Town Hall and it was never functional for that purpose. We have to realize that the town of Castleton extends from Ira to Fair Haven and not just confined to a few blocks of downtown," said Charles Jacien, the town manager in Castleton.
"The town offices belong and should stay downtown. We have grant money to the tune of about $300,000 which would bring this project down probably to the $700,000-$800,000 range," said John Rehlen of Castleton.
Those estimates are based on plans drawn up 10 years ago to renovate the current building. If residents vote to approve the new structure, they would see on average a tax increase of about $60 per year.
