Amherst residents will get to vote on $11M bond to build community theater
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AMHERST, N.Y. (WIVB) -- Residents of Amherst will have the opportunity to vote on whether the town board should borrow $11 million to build a community theater in its Central Park.
A special election will be scheduled for late July or early August after a group of Amherst residents turned in more than 4,300 valid signatures to the town clerk last Wednesday. 262 were deemed invalid, according to Amherst Town Clerk Fran Spoth.
The Erie County Board of Elections validated the signatures on Monday and no objections were filed by midnight.
In March, the town board approved a measure to bond $11 million to pay for the construction of the building that would be used by MusicalFare Theatre. It would be built in the town’s central park, the land now occupied by the former Westwood Country Club.
Amherst taxpayers would foot the bill for a special election, which will be held 90-105 days after the petition was verified. The Board of Elections is currently calculating costs and other decisions.
Dave Greber is an award-winning anchor and reporter who has been part of the News 4 team since 2015. See more of his work here.