ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt. (AP) — The St. Johnsbury select board is asking town voters to authorize them to borrow $5.4 million dollars to pay for the renovation of the long-shuttered St. Johnsbury Armory.

If the bond is approved during the Sept. 14 vote, the Main Street building would become the community’s new public safety building.

The Caledonian Record reports the total cost of the project is estimated at more than $5.8 million. The town has already received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and officials say they will seek more grants to reduce the cost to the town.

If the bond is approved, construction could begin next year.

The armory, which opened in 1917, once housed the St. Johnsbury Recreation Department. It was closed in 2009 due to environmental contamination at the site.

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