Granby Town Meeting Reverses Course, Restores $3 Million for West Street Renovation

GRANBY — June 9, 2025 — Granby town meeting voted to transfer $3 million back into the West Street School renovation account, reversing a prior vote that had moved those funds into a demolition fund. Select Board Chair Mark Bale, on the job since May 20, told approximately 127 voters that demolition costs have tripled since 2018 to nearly $3 million and that new construction or modular alternatives would far exceed the town's $5.6 million total appropriation, leaving West Street renovation as the only option within both the budget and the 18-month lease deadline on the town hall annex. Finance Committee spokesman John Lober backed the project and separately warned that nearly $1.5 million in new built-in annual costs — driven by a nearly $590,000 health insurance increase and more than $570,000 in new net school spending requirements — will require Granby to draw nearly $1.9 million from free cash just to balance its FY2026 budget of $23.7 million, compared to a historical average of roughly $500,000. A separate special town meeting article passed 125-2 to transfer $24,932.34 from the general stabilization fund to cover 25 outstanding fire and ambulance vendor invoices dating to 2020.