GRANBY — Nearly 15 months after the town approved $5.6 million to renovate the former West Street School into municipal offices and a senior center, the committee in charge of the project is proposing a $14.4 million restoration that would require passage of a Proposition 2½ override.

The West Street Building Project will abate half of the 44,000-square-foot former elementary school and add new windows, fire suppression, accessibility, ventilation and electrical upgrades to transform the old structure into a much-needed new home for both town officials and for seniors.

Currently, municipal offices are split between the upstairs of the Senior Center at 10 W. State St. — which will be sold if the project passes — and the Town Hall Annex. The lease for the annex expires in June, although the town is looking into extending the lease through 2025.

Lynn Mercier, chair of the West Street Building Committee, presented three options for the project to the Select Board Monday night. The board suggested bidding the most expensive option, but including some of the less expensive finishes and materials from the other project options to bring down the total price.

Along with the $5.6 million previously allocated during a special Town Meeting in November 2023, the town intends to use an additional $1.2 million from a municipal stabilization fund and $1 million from free cash — bringing the total funding available for the project to $7.8 million.

That leaves a balance of $6.7 million, which the board said on Monday would likely mean asking residents to approve an override.

Abatement for the remaining 22,000 square feet of unoccupied space is estimated to cost an additional $1.2 million, which is not factored into project estimates discussed Monday.

“Give the people exactly the maximum amount you’re going to raise and then do deducts,” said Chris Martin, a member of the West Street Building Committee. “That way you can start planning your exclusion vote while you’re waiting for the bids, because it’s a 30-day notice to schedule an election.”

Mercier said the numbers are not definitive yet. The project must go out to bid and come back with a proposed budget within the next 12 weeks. With the hard numbers in hand, the West Street Building Committee will then calculate the cost per household of the project and educate the public on the work and the cost.

“We really have to break it down for each homeowner so they know where they stand,” building committee member Micheline Turgeon said. “We’re in a rock and a hard place. We need to do something for this town and we have to decide what to do as a town and move forward.”

Select Board Chair Crystal Dufresne asked the committee if it would be cheaper to construct a new building instead of renovating the old structure. Committee members said it would likely cost more to build new, warning the cost of construction alone would be $1,000 per square foot for a new structure. They also cautioned that building new would mean a building that’s 22,000 square feet smaller in size than what’s currently there.

But Dufresne and Select Board member Glenn Sexton think taxpayers will find a $6.7 million price point too steep.

“I think just a tough time. I hear a lot of people complaining and concerned about their property taxes right now,” Sexton said.

Proposition 2½ overrides for large capital projects must pass at a Town Meeting and town vote. Due to the Annex lease ending, Mercier said the project is under a lot of time pressure. She proposed that the May town elections also include a vote on the project despite the bids coming in weeks later.

“If we wait until June 10, we’ll have more definitive numbers because our bids will be in, but we will be way off schedule for renovating that building,” Mercier said. “Right now we’re pushing March of 2026.”

The Select Board pushed back, insisting that the committee have solid numbers before any vote takes place. The group decided to add the project to the special Town Meeting warrant in June. Elections would take place in July.

“These are large numbers, and we shouldn’t be the ones to make this decision,” Select Board member David LeBlanc said. “It should be up to the taxpayers and the town as a whole if we want to get into this.”

Emilee Klein can be reached at eklein@gazettenet.com.