MONKTON — Monkton voters on Town Meeting Day rejected two bonds related to their municipal facilities — one for the third time.
A $1 million bond to fund a new town hall and library on a parcel the town owns on Monkton Ridge was defeated by a margin of 287-225. Monkton voters also rejected a $120,000 bond for an extension to the fire facility on States Prison Hollow Road by just 12 votes, 260-248.
This is the third time that Monkton voters have faced a bond for a new town hall in recent years. Voters also rejected the first two proposals, which had price tags of $1.5 million and $1.7 million, respectively.
“I thought we had answered the big questions and objections to past proposals,” said selectboard chair John Phillips, who had expressed optimism about this incarnation of the proposal. “I still believe the town needs a new town hall, so it’s just a question of how we’re going to get there.”
Voters had authorized the town to purchase the parcel on Monkton Ridge in a 2006 vote.
Town officials had worked hard on bringing the price tag down this time, and seemed optimistic that this proposal would be a winner.
Monkton had challenged architectural firms to find a design that was energy efficient, consistent with the aesthetic of the town, and cost less than $1 million. The winner was Naylor & Breen Builders of Brandon, whose single-story design includes space for the municipal offices and the library as well as multi-purpose meeting rooms for the community.
The addition of the new building would also have create a town green for famers’ markets and celebrations, the town said in a brochure.
Editor’s note: This story was updated after its original posting to correct the vote numbers on the fire station expansion article.