POWNAL Work on the new Pownal town office building shifted into a higher gear Wednesday when a crane began setting modular sections of the building onto the prepared foundation.
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POWNAL â The new town hall project is facing another hurdle, but officials are expressing confidence there will be a partial opening in the fall and the building will be completed in early 2022.
In announcing July 8 that the project wonât be finished this year as planned, but will be constructed in two phases, Select Board members and town staff outlined the new plan and acknowledged that some engineering and other details are still being worked out.
Among those are whether the final project cost will rise and the specifics of how two sections of the new building will be finished and made ready for occupancy by town staff while the centerpiece wonât be finished until next spring.
Flat tax idea not possible for Pownal office project benningtonbanner.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from benningtonbanner.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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POWNAL â The Select Board discussed but didnât decide Wednesday how a $600,000 bond for the new town office project would be repaid if the proposal wins voter approval during the March 2 election.
Taxing options were discussed during a public hearing, however, and those included assessing a flat charge on all real estate parcels; assessing a charge on only developed parcels, or taxing according to the assessed value and tax rate, the way other property bills are determined.
A flat tax on property is the method of repayment for the bond that funded the Pownal wastewater system, which opened in 2006. Owners of developed parcels have paid a flat tax of approximately $70 per year on the sewer bond, while undeveloped parcels are assessed roughly half as much.
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POWNAL â A new town office project that voters overwhelmingly approved in 2019 has a new hurdle to clear in March after permitting delays pushed up the estimated cost.
After a slide presentation on the project and the cost overruns, the Select Board voted Dec. 3 to place a new, larger bond request before voters at the annual town meeting, seeking authorization for $690,000. That figure is up from the $600,000 bond approved by a 326 to 124 majority during an Oct. 29, 2019, special town meeting.
Another $175,000 in a town office building fund that was added to over the 20-plus years Pownal has sought to replace its current offices is earmarked to complete funding for the new building.