For the second time in four years, Oak Bluffs voters on Tuesday, April 11, will be asked to approve a Proposition 2½ debt exclusion to finance a new town hall. The new town hall is projected to cost $9.8 million.
Plans for the new building, a report on the condition of town hall by building inspector Mark Barbadoro, a video tour of town hall, and charts that show how much the debt exclusion will cost taxpayers over the next 20 years are on display on the town website.
According to a statement by the town hall building committee, “The present building is too small, in terrible physical condition, does not conform to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), wastes energy, is inefficient for heating and cooling, does not appropriately represent the architecture and tradition of Oak Bluffs, and is long overdue for significant capital investment.”
The current design is based on the original 2013 design, done by Falmouth-based architects Keenan + Kenny, and subsequently revised by the 12-member town hall building committee over the past several months.
Although a $6.5 million bond measure for a new town hall was approved on a voice vote at the 2014 town meeting, it was resoundingly rejected in the voting booths. The new $8.3 million fire station was also approved on voice vote at 2014 town meeting, but was approved at the ballot box by a scant six votes.
