Norwich
“It’s been a long time coming,” Police Chief Doug Robinson said minutes after the results were announced on Tuesday evening. “Long time coming. Now I’ll tell my guys; we’ll be really excited.”
The margin, 1,561-580, indicated overwhelming public favor after last year’s failure of two costlier proposals at the polls.
“To have that much support — it feels good,” Robinson said.
As approved, the bond would pay for the demolition of the aging police station and the merging of emergency services into one downtown facility of about 5,900 gross square feet.
Town officials estimate that the town portion of residents’ property tax rates will increase during the first year of bonding (2019) by less than a penny (.07 cents) per $100 of assessed valuation. That equates to $28.28 on a $400,000 house.
Standing outside the polls on Tuesday evening, Paul Tuhus said he had voted in favor of the bond because improvements for the town’s emergency services facilities were long past due.
“We could have gotten it done five years ago,” he said.
As it stands, officials and residents in Norwich have been discussing the project for the better part of this century — since before Robinson joined the department in 2002.
“I think the public is happy because the budget has come down,” Selectboard Chairwoman Linda Cook said, referring to the cost of the project. “This has brought the community together to help the two departments be more professional in the look of their buildings.”
Cook said the board hoped to finish its plans during the winter, put the project out to bid and then finish construction by the end of 2017 — “if not sooner,” she said.
Back in 2015, Cook opposed two other bond requests that would have funded the fire and police renovations for about $2.1 million. Adding in public works improvements, which this year’s bond does not include, the 2015 requests totaled about $3 million each.
Selectman Christopher Ashley, who was chairman when those proposals were on the ballot, has been the lone voice of opposition this year. He criticized the scope of the project, which he says is too small, as well as the Selectboard’s haste in preparing for a November vote.
After the results came in on Tuesday, Robinson roamed the Tracy Hall gym, accepting congratulations from residents. Although his department’s new home won’t be built for at least a year, Robinson seemed ready to wait a little bit longer.
“We’ll put up with it for one more winter,” he said with a grin.
Rob Wolfe can be reached at rwolfe@vnews.com or 603-727-3242.