Voters in Norwich will get a chance to reverse a decision they made on Town Meeting Day. In March, they refused to borrow around $3 million to replace police and fire stations in disrepair.
But the debate lives on.
Few residents in this Upper Valley town dispute the need for new facilities, but they have been balking at the price. The select board has agreed by a narrow margin to put a slightly scaled-down plan to a vote on May 12. The police station would have one story instead of two. But a separate question will ask voters to approve an additional $211,000 to power the buildings with solar energy. Town Manager Neil Fulton says that up-front spending would lower costs over time.
“Having the voters have an opportunity to build a building that is future oriented, I think, is a good idea,” Fulton said.
With the solar power set-up, the plan will require a slightly larger bond than the one voted down in March, but supporters say the needs for new space for police and the fire department are too pressing to ignore.
