Jennifer Robinson, LJI

West Bolton will be consulting residents – all 700 of them – starting at the end of February to find a solution to an issue that has dogged the town for almost four years.

What to do about the town hall building? Renovate and expand the building and lot? Or, build a new town hall in a new location?

Everyone agrees that the current town hall – while picturesque – is not ideal. The septic system and well need upgrading. Accessibility and ventilation are not up to code. Space is tight for meetings, and the current lot is too small to expand the building or parking lot. The cost just to bring it up to code as a public building has been estimated at more than $450,000 – not including septic and water issues.

“We need to understand what residents want and then make a decision based on what they want,” says Margarita Lafontaine, the town councillor who heads the committee overseeing the town hall project. It is not decided yet how the consultation will be conducted.

But residents will be watching closely, given West Bolton’s track record on the issue. Just recently, a group of citizens won an Access to Information case against West Bolton, which revealed that the former administration had attempted, without the knowledge of residents, to purchase land on Route 243 for the purpose of building an expensive new town hall, community centre and other facilities.. The main individuals involved are no longer in office.

Asked why it has taken so long for the town to consult residents, Lafontaine said there had been changes in personnel and other issues, but that the town was now forging ahead. She said there is still a lot of work to be done to understand the costs of expanding the existing property and building, or any other option that residents might support.

West Bolton residents are facing increases in property taxes this year of about 25 per cent. On average, evaluations have increased 84 per cent.