Citizens’ Hall plan defeated

Thursday, March 18, 2010

LYNDEBOROUGH – Voters at Saturday’s town meeting defeated a measure to establish a capital reserve fund for a future expansion of Citizens’ Hall for the police department, and voted “no” on the marriage definition petition article, but otherwise approved everything on the budget.

But not without a lot of debate.

Voters approved $5,000 to fund an architectural study of the proposed addition to Citizens’ Hall, but said they would not put any money away to build it until they had some concrete plans. Most people agreed that the police department, a 17-by-22-foot room at the rear of the hall, is inadequate, and that the officers need a garage for their cruisers, but first they want a plan.

That plan is to be presented at next year’s town meeting. After considerable discussion of civil rights, support of legislative decisions, and the appropriateness of the article on the town warrant, the constitutional amendment question was determined by secret ballot. The result was 53 no and 22 yes.

Another petition article, to keep Lyndeborough forever free of electronic vote counting, passed on a voice vote.

The meeting lasted five hours, with a break for lunch provided by the Fire Department Auxiliary.

About 120 voters attended the meeting at Citizens’ Hall. They approved an operating budget of $1.52 million, $70,000 to upgrade Wilton Road, $15,000 to furnish the new library expansion, $3,000 for a storage unit for emergency operations, $22,550 for repairs to the Citizens’ Hall upstairs meeting room, contributions to numerous capital reserve accounts for equipment, and expanded tax exemptions for the elderly, the disabled and war veterans.

Voters also approved withdrawing the remaining $28,500 from the library building fund to complete the addition, and then added another $15,000 for tables, chairs and bookshelves.

The addition is scheduled to open this summer.

Road Agent Kent Perry said Wilton Road was scheduled for upgrade in 2015, but since he will be working this year on Johnson’s Corner Road (on the opposite side of Center Road) he could save a lot of money on moving equipment. The work includes an expensive box culvert, as does the Johnson’s Corner project, and it will be cheaper to do both at the same time.

“This is a need, but not a necessity,” he said.

Voters agreed the road needs fixing.

The interior of Citizens’ Hall, both the meeting room and the police station, were damaged last winter by ice dams and a leaking roof. Town Administrator Jim Bingham said the repairs have to be done this year in order to receive insurance money. Work in the meeting room includes repair of the plaster and ceiling, painting walls and wainscoting, and refinishing the floor.

During the lunch break, Mark Chase was honored for his 10 years with the highway department, and Annie Holt was recognized for her gift of a framed picture of the Lafayette Artillery Co. to the town. The picture will hang in the Citizens’ Hall meeting room.

Following the meeting, retiring Selectman Lorraine Strube was presented a gift certificate and flowers for her nine years on the board.