Moultonborough voters say 'no' to buying former CruCon building

MOULTONBOROUGH — In what was described as a “one-time opportunity” by Town Administrator Angela Bovill, the warrant article asking to purchase the former CruCon building on Whittier Highway was voted down at Town Meeting.

In a secret ballot, Article 9 failed 247-291, after a 10-minute presentation and two hours of deliberation on March 14. However, it had really been a continuation of a discussion over the past 17 years, where numerous proposals have been considered.

“This was the only one to offer a chance to consolidate the town offices, include recreation department programming, and have a function hall in one single property,” Bovill said in an interview on Tuesday. “The 28,000 square feet made it capable of multiple functions in one location.”

Town leaders recommended the purchase of the massive building at 81 Whitter Hwy with a total price tag of about $4.6 million including renovation costs, compared to other estimates of around $20 million to build a new Town Hall. There would have also been no impact on the taxpayers, which Bovill said will not be the case if the town needs to construct a new building.

The two main points from opponents were that it wasn't in the village area, and concern about traffic entering and exiting the building. On Whittier Highway, also known as Route 25, some worried there could be an increased chance of accidents, compared with the current location at 6 Holland St.

Bovill said the numbers the town used were all “true and factual,” with data pulled from the records of their studies, as well as police and emergency services information.

“We were trying to present the facts,” Bovill said. “Change can be hard, but sometimes, change is good.”

The purchase of the building was presented as a unique chance to help address both immediate and long-term needs for Town Hall, as well as a potential home and meeting space for the recreation department, and organizations like Meals on Wheels.

In public hearings in January, leading up to Town Meeting, leaders said it was a chance to combine the functions of three aging buildings into one state-of-the-art facility. If purchased, the recommendation was to demolish the current rec building to use for additional parking, and sell the current Town Hall and function hall buildings.

Bovill said the current Town Hall has two departments that have outgrown their spaces, and the move would have been an opportunity to alleviate crowding. The building would have been able to accommodate the town offices including the selectboard, administration, tax collector, town clerk, assessing, land use, code enforcement, and recreation offices.

The town was approached, in July 2025, about the purchase from the real estate representative of the property, and leaders saw a chance to save money and address space needs.

The proposed purchase of the building was for $3.7 million, which includes $3.3 million from the unassigned fund balance, and $500,000 from the Capital Reserve Fund. The purchase would have had zero cost to taxpayers.

The unassigned fund balance acts as something of a reserve account for a community. 

Bovill said this would have worked well for a town that has seen immense growth since 2019, at 24%, while also providing a way to alleviate concerns, without further burdening taxpayers.

Now, significantly higher costs of construction will inevitably be needed, as Bovill said these space issues did not simply disappear. Bovill said it is unclear if a new building is the way to go at this point.

The alternative for new construction would require bonding, higher taxes, and a much higher price tag. For reference, the Town of Meredith recently released a study that showed a $14.1 million renovation cost for the Town Hall and its annex, or $8.1 million for a new, 12,000-square-foot building. A new building would also take years to plan, approve and complete, instead of having one already to retrofit for their needs.

“The part that was important was that this could have all been achieved without a tax burden, but that opportunity is gone,” Bovill said.

Bovill and the selectboard will now be working with the department heads to assess operational needs, constraints, and look into future growth.

“We’ll try to determine the best path moving forward,” Bovill said. “There are a lot of good, educated people here to work on evaluating alternative options.”

Resident comments

After Article 9 failed, leaders are left with the question of what to do with the recreation department, an ongoing conversation at Town Meeting for more than four decades. The recreation department is currently located at 10 Holland St., adjacent to the town offices, and a function hall is on Old Route 109.

Resident Tom Howard told the selectboard on Tuesday one area that needs immediate attention is indoor recreational space, which has been discussed in town since it was included in the 1982 Master Plan.

“We have failed in the ensuing 44 years to ante up and get it done,” he said.

Howard said the ball has been dropped after each unsuccessful plan, and lessons weren’t learned over time. One proposal was on Old Route 109, when the town bought the former Lions Club Property in 2008. Howard said before the planning was done, administration was asked to include space for Town Hall in that building.

“We were trying to accomplish too much at one time, and that has become obviously apparent, because that vote was very, very close if any of you recall that,” Howard said. “Any one of those items could have moved that needle, and we could have paid off that community center by now.”

Howard noted The Blue Ribbon Commission stepped up in 2011, to pull together competing voices, and determined a recreation facility for offices, programming, storage and a gymnasium should be on school property, or adjacent to it.

The town purchased the Adele Taylor property, and that was the focus of the next proposal. However, he said too much was attempted to be fitted into one package, including a function hall and commercial kitchen.

According to a May 3, 2016, article in The Laconia Daily Sun, this was a 20,000-square-foot building that would have included an 11,000-square-foot gymnasium, commercial kitchen and multipurpose rooms. This was voted down at Town Meeting that year.

Then there was the building referred to as “The Hub,” which Howard wasn’t involved in or in favor of. This involved a 36,472-square-foot facility with a function hall, commercial kitchen and walking track. It also included an aquatic center. The location was away from the schools. The total cost for that project was $15.9 million, and was to be paid with bonds, and failed to pass at the 2023 Town Meeting.

Howard feels it is time to act, and recommended the Taylor property once again be considered.

“I would say 44 years later it is time to build the recreation department a building with their offices, programming space, storage and a reasonably sized gymnasium to be located at the Taylor property, which is within walking distance of all our schools,” he said. “It’s a very important piece.”

He said not being on school property is important, so the adult population can use it. Howard advocates Phase I of the next steps to be taken to address issues that came up at Town Meeting, immediately.

“We really need to keep the ball rolling this year and bring something to Town Meeting next year.”