WILLIAMSBURG — In a townwide debt exclusion override vote Monday, residents by almost a 2-to-1 margin approved borrowing for a $5.1 million project to construct a new public safety complex on the Helen E. James School property and demolish the old school.
The vote was 358 in favor to 187 against. The 545 ballots cast represented a 26.5% turnout of the town’s 2,055 registered voters.
“I think it went pretty smoothly,” said Town Clerk Brenda Lessard. “I was a little surprised we didn’t have more of a turnout.”
The vote, allowing the town to raise taxes above the cap imposed by Proposition 2½, follows an article authorizing the project, which passed at a special Town Meeting April 3 by a vote of 259-48.
That article authorized the transfer of $1 million for the project, as well as the borrowing of $4.1 million. However, in order for it to go into effect, borrowing for the project had to pass Monday’s debt exclusion vote as well.
The $5.1 million project follows years of study by the town, and a study commissioned by the Owner’s Project Manager Steering Committee that concluded that constructing the public safety complex on the Helen E. James School property and demolishing the school would be cheaper than incorporating it into the complex, estimated to cost $7.5 million, or building the complex and doing necessary repairs on the school, estimated to cost $6.7 million.
Public safety services in Williamsburg operate out of two facilities at present, 5 North Main St. in Williamsburg and 16 South Main St. in Haydenville.
Outside the polls on Monday afternoon, voters weighed in for and against the proposal.
Debbie Turner said she voted no because of tax concerns.
“The taxes are high enough already,” she said.
Turner said that her taxes went up last quarter and “they’ll go up again.”
“Eventually I’m going to have to just move if it keeps doing this,” she said.
Kenneth Taylor and his wife, Carmen Taylor, on the other hand, both backed the project. Kenneth Taylor has been a member of the Fire Department since 1968.
“I’ve lived in this town my whole life,” he said. “It’s time that the town step up and do the right thing.”
Taylor works out of the Williamsburg public safety facility, which he describes as “terrible.”
One of the reasons Rose Bookbinder said that she voted no was because she wanted to preserve the Helen E. James School.
“It saddens me to see that the building’s going to be demolished, rather than figure out how to do the reconstruction to accommodate this,” she said.
She also said that she feels the amount of money devoted to the local police budget is exagerated, and would like to see it invested in other ways.
Richard Loomis said that he voted yes “because we need it.”
Loomis said that he’s served with the Fire Department in the past, and he said that the current facility in Williamsburg is “not even adequate to store the equipment.”
Fire Chief Jason Connell, who also served on the Owner’s Project Manger Steering Committee, expressed satisfaction at the yes vote.
“I’m finally happy to see something moving forward,” he said.
He also said that having one facility will bring the department closer together and probably make its responses more efficient.
Bera Dunau can be reached at bduna u@gazette net.com.