Bergen referendums voted down

No negative comments were voiced at either of the informational meetings held prior to the Town of Bergen's referendum votes on November 16, but both propositions were vetoed by voters.

Town Supervisor John Specht said the voter turn out was "excellent" but the results simply did not turn out the way the town board had hoped. "Both the proposition to build a new highway garage and the town hall were defeated by an approximate vote of 250 against and 160 in favor of the construction," he said. "The only bright spot is that we got the turn out from the constituents that we were hoping for. The board initiated this referendum to find out the will of the people -- and we did."

Specht said that no negative comments were voiced by residents either when the meetings were held or at any time prior to the voting process.

As for what that means for the future, Specht said town officials weren't certain. "We need time to examine our very narrow remaining options," he said. "Our courtroom is not in compliance with the request of the New York state officials."

To bring the building into compliance necessitates having more usable floor space and without a new building, he said, the immediate obvious solution would be to put an addition on to the present town building. "The only area we have to expand though is our small parking lot, which then creates a new problem of where to park," he said.

The highway garage is still inefficient in many ways -- too small, outdated heating and interior drainage systems, lack of accommodations for employees, poor ventilation and other less obvious defects. "At this time," Specht said, "we just don't know what our most viable options will be."