Town: Tentative Agreement Reached for Proposed Highway Garage Property

Pending approval by the Board of Selectmen, the town has a tentative purchase and sale agreement of $665,000 for land it wants to use for a new town highway garage, Chief Administrative Officer Robert Skinner told the Permanent Municipal Building Committee Wednesday night.

The town is looking at 5 Cherry Brook Road to relocate the aging facility on Old River Road near the Farmington River and hopes to bring a complete garage plan to voters in November as part of a proposed bonding package. (The Board of Finance is still gathering information on the package).

Voters defeated a plan to buy the same property for $900,000 at a 2010 referendum. Since then it has been subdivided, part of the reason for the better price, Skinner said. It also makes the front part more marketable for economic development, Skinner said.

“I think it’s a win-win,“ he said, adding that there are certainly contingencies for the town, such as voter approval and appraisal results.

Since the 2010 referendum, the building committee has pursued dozens of other potential sites but all have been eliminated due to factors such as wetlands, private sales and steep slopes, officials said.

The land in question also has some anticipated added site development costs due to the presence of ledge but officials said they have exhausted all other current options. 

The total garage plan, including land purchase and site work, is now estimated at $6.9 million. The Weston & Sampson engineering firm is refining cost estimates and options with the town and plans to meet with the committee again on June 27.