Town of Franklin moves on highway garage expansion

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October 2, 2008

By JACOB RESNECK The Press Republican Thu Oct 02, 2008, 12:00 AM EDT

VERMONTVILLE -- The Town of Franklin has moved forward on expanding its highway garage, but a new community center has been set aside for now.

In August, the town unveiled an ambitious $1.13 million plan that would include a 5,600-square-foot community center in Kate Mountain Park in Vermontville.

But at a special meeting Monday night, the Town Council voted unanimously to only approve expanding the garage.

"We've deferred on the community center until a later time," Supervisor Mary Ellen Keith said Tuesday.

Consultants have estimated that adding a fifth truck bay, installing a hydraulic lift and increasing energy efficiency would cost the town about $688,000.

Some residents criticized the combined community center/garage plan as too expensive. Its future was uncertain, as bonding for more than a million dollars requires a voter referendum.

Because the town has dropped the community-center plan, the highway-garage expansion won't go before voters, Keith said.

The town's first priority is the highway garage, she added, and councilors may vote on bonding for the project at their Oct. 15 meeting.