Williston
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Library expansion pared to $10 million
JULY 9, 2026
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
Reduced scope proposal expected to be on November ballot BY JASON STARR Observer staff
O say, can you see… The flags flew and the trumpets blew as Willistonians and guests celebrated Independence Day on Saturday. These two, above, teamed up to make the most of activities of the day. See pages 2-7 for a scrapbook of the celebration and visit the Observer website for even more photos! OBSERVER PHOTO BY AL FREY
The Williston Selectboard appears ready to move forward with a $10.2 million library renovation and expansion and seek voter approval in November to finance $9 million of the cost. The project is reduced in scope from the $14 million proposal voters rejected in May — a vote that came as a reconsideration of a narrow Town Meeting Day approval of the project. The revote was forced by a petition from residents opposed to the projected property tax impact associated with the construction debt the town would have to take on. After the May reconsideration, the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library Trustees began working on a new proposal,
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consulting with Black River Design Architects to pare down the original scope while seeking to maintain as much as possible of the amenities residents requested during three years of public engagement that informed the original design. That plan would have nearly doubled
“This still takes our library very much into the future.” Greta D’Agostino Williston Selectboard
the size of the library, adding a two-story addition and a new parking lot, renovating the existing building and improving the adjacent Village Green. The trustees had hoped to place a new bond financing question on the primary election ballot in August. But last month, the selectboard determined that
more time was needed to solidify the plan, and it re-oriented the process toward November. The board now has an Aug. 3 deadline to approve a ballot question for the Nov. 3 election. In June, the trustees endeavored to survey residents about their priorities for an expanded library as well as the cost they would be willing to support. They published the survey online and on paper in the library lobby. In total, 473 people submitted responses. Trustee Karla Karstens said that the responses showed priorities that were in line with what residents asked for when the original design was formulated. “The survey results kind of validated what we’ve been thinking all along,” she said. However, the question asking how much cost taxpayers are willing to support for the project offered new information. A “less than $8 million” option see LIBRARY page 24
Williston announces next chief of police
LaBarge an Air Force veteran and Burlington police lieutenant OBSERVER STAFF REPORT
Brian LaBarge has accepted the position of Williston police chief.
LaBarge is currently the deputy chief of administration at the Burlington Police Department. He will take the place of Chief Patrick Foley, who retires at the end of July. The town conducted a national search over the past several months, assisted by
Vermont-based law enforcement executive search consultant J.W. Leadership Consulting. About 24 candidates applied for the job, and four were prescreened and invited for interviews with a community panel that included town and state leaders, members of the police department,
Williston school leaders, local business owners and a community-based housing nonprofit. LaBarge was selected from three finalists. His first day at the helm is scheduled for Aug. 3 “Williston is immensely fortunate to have Chief LaBarge
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join our leadership team to guide our law enforcement services,” Town Manager Erik Wells said in a news release. “The search process yielded several high-caliber and qualified candidates for the position. Through a rigorous process Chief LaBarge emerged see POLICE CHIEF page 24