BUCKLAND — Voters twice defeated a motion to spend millions on converting a former Mayhew Steel building into a suitable town garage that would have met Highway Department needs and state building requirements.
With a renovation plan due to the building inspector’s office on April 1, the Board of Selectmen will have to come back with another plan to ready the Mayhew building for an occupancy permit.
Tuesday night’s special town meeting was held in Buckland Town Hall. The first vote, to spend up to $3.5 million for either renovations to the former Mayhew Steel plant or for new construction on the Highway Department site at 2 Sears St. Extension, was defeated by a tie vote of 41 to 41. The money was to have been borrowed and repaid through a temporary tax hike, a debt exclusion that would have allowed the town to temporarily raise the tax rate above the levy limit until the highway garage loan was paid off. At least a two-thirds majority vote was needed to approve the measure.
Later in the meeting, an amendment was proposed by a resident who had voted against the original article, to reduce the amount of money to $2 million. The article had a 52 to 30 majority, but it was not the two-thirds majority required to pass.
Earlier, Selectmen said they hoped the real cost of the renovations would be much less than $3.5 million, but the board asked for an amount that would cover any unforeseen costs, without having to come back to voters for more money later.
Town officials said the debt repayment wouldn’t begin for at least another year, when other debt exclusion costs for the town were already paid off and taken off the tax rate.
“We have until April 1 to make a plan, to get an occupancy permit,” Selectmen’s Chairman Rob Riggan explained. “If we don’t, we’ll have to find a new home. That would put us back where we were three years ago.”
Riggan gave a slide presentation of the buildings on the old Mayhew lot, showing where there were big cracks in the walls and other flaws. He said the 1993 metal building, which is being used for the garage, requires a sprinkler system, mechanical ventilation, an oil separator and bays for a washing area. He said a study evaluating the building is also required.
The town must submit a report that includes construction documents, structural engineering conditions and other technical information needed for building and occupancy permits.
Some who opposed spending the money said they wanted to see plans before giving the town “a blank check.”
Because the town had a few preliminary studies done before buying the Mayhew property, a few residents asked why they bought the property knowing the buildings would need so much work. Selectmen replied that they brought several options to town meeting, but all were defeated.
Despite the article’s defeat, voters have been asked to return to Town Hall today for a ballot vote. The purpose will be to authorize Selectmen to borrow money for the highway garage renovations. This will save time if the board comes back to residents with another spending plan. Polls open at Town Hall, 17 State St., from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The town must comply with state building regulations for a “change of use” Commercial Building Permit, converting the old manufacturing plant into a highway facility, and is now working on its occupancy permit.
A year ago, residents unanimously voted to spend $325,000 for the Mayhew facility, which includes a few old buildings and about 4.7 acres. Selectmen told the voters at that meeting they would be back, asking for money to make improvements.
Buckland went without a town garage from about 2005, when the old Conway Street garage was condemned, until 2014, when Selectmen signed a two-year lease for the vacated Mayhew Steel property.