AFTON – The Town of Afton on Saturday named the current, and hopefully future, town hall after their 24-year veteran supervisor and longtime Afton dairyman, Robert Dee Briggs.

Briggs, who never faced opposition for his seat, has led the town in local and county-level lawmaking since 1988. He is currently chairman of the Chenango County Agriculture, Buildings and Grounds Committee and, previously, served as chairman of the Chenango County Board of Supervisors for two years.

Briggs is the second longest serving Afton supervisor since records were first kept in 1900. (Supervisor Ernest L. Poole served 29 years from 1946-1975.)

New York State 107th District Assemblyman Cliff Crouch joined town officials and Briggs’ wife, Anne, in honoring him at the luncheon and dedication ceremony. 127th District Assemblyman Peter Lopez and Senator Tom Libous sent citations.

The town currently leases meeting space from the Village of Afton in the municipal office building at 169 Main St. If a proposed building project is approved by voters, the designation sign would be transferred to a new highway garage/town hall on 1484 state Hwy. 7.

The building project was made necessary after the Flood of 2006 which largely destroyed the town’s highway garage at that location. Federal Emergency Management Association disaster relief funds in the amount of $500,000, a portion of reserves and some borrowing would be used to build a new 4-bay garage for trucks with attached offices for the town supervisor, justices and highway superintendent as well as a boardroom/courtroom.