Jaffrey is moving forward with a special Town Meeting on Saturday, Nov. 23, at 9 a.m. to allocate $1.2 million to purchase the former TD Bank and convert it into a new town office.

The special Town Meeting will be in the Conant High School Ernest J. Pratt Auditorium. The purchase of the bank is the only item on the warrant. The Select Board recommended the purchase in a 3-0 vote, and by the Budget Committee recommended it 7-0.

The town began the process of requesting a special Town Meeting in September in order to close a purchase on the TD Bank building, which is located on Main Street. It is adjacent to both the current town offices and the town police station. In order to hold a Town Meeting outside of the town’s usual cycle requires approval from Cheshire County Superior Court, which granted approval at the end of October.

According to the draft warrant, the $1.2 million would come from the town’s current undesignated fund balance, and not new taxes. The vote requires a simple majority in order to pass. The town’s filing with the court, submitted by town attorney Kelly Dowd, states that the town’s current undesignated fund balance is currently $3.3  million. The bank was initially put on the market for an asking price of $1.5 million.

The current town offices, located at 10 Goodnow St., became the town office in 1995. The building was always intended to be a temporary location – initially in use for up to five years.

Listed among the issues with the building is its age – having been built in the 1930s – lack of energy efficiency, inadequate ventilation, no waiting area for the public and offices that are immediately accessible to the public, which is a security concern. Other issues listed include a lack of additional office space for new personnel, inadequate meeting space for municipal hearings and lack of storage.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.