Bergen seeks voter approval
for new highway garage, town hall

Bergen is outgrowing both its highway garage and its town hall and in order to meet that growth it is putting forth referendums for two propositions to construct new buildings.

"This is something the town board has initiated to get the public's opinion before we go ahead and borrow money," Town of Bergen Supervisor John Specht said. "We've already done engineering studies and have design plans for both buildings."

The town's highway garage was built in the 1930s and no longer meets the town's needs. "The doors aren't large enough to accommodate some of the newer equipment and when there is ice build up on the areas where the trucks enter the garage they hit the doors," Specht said. "The heating system is also out of date and in need of overhaul or replacement."

Specht said the town could live with the town hall itself, but the courtroom has outgrown its space. "We've been told by the head of the Eighth Judicial Court that our courtrooms are inadequate," he said. "We're also running out of storage space, the assessor's office is far too small and my 'office' is a chair next to the clerk's desk."

Proposed construction plans for the town hall, which would be built on fire department owned property, call for a 6,000 square foot building. The highway garage would be constructed on five acres of property the towns owns on Gibson Street and the truck entrance to the highway garage would remain on the relatively unoccupied Gates Street, Specht said. The site of the present town highway garage would be used for storage.

If the town's residents approve the proposition for the construction of a new town hall, the former space occupied by the town hall would be turned over to the library and the town historian. "Their space could increase by close to 50 percent," he said. "We already have money set aside that could be used for the modifications necessary for the library expansion."

If the town borrows the $1.8 million for the highway building and the $1.4 million for a new town hall, Specht said he anticipates taxes might increase by about 50 cents per thousand. "We've had a bit of a surplus in our budget the past few years because of what we've budgeted for sales tax revenues," he said. "Right now we're $60,000 over what we'd budgeted for the sales tax and that money has been set aside for the anticipated construction."

The town has also added $100,000 to its capital fund and anticipates doing the same next year.
A 30-year Rural Development loan would help the town finance its two projects. "Over the long run, we don't anticipate these projects having a major impact on taxes," Specht said.

Voters in the town will be asked to cast their ballots on November 16 from noon to 9 p.m. in the town hall.

If approved, the town anticipates going out to bid for the projects in late winter, with construction likely to begin in mid-summer 2005.