A last-minute plea to save the facade of the crumbling Sphar building wasn’t enough to stop the vote to hire a demolition company Tuesday night.

The Winchester Board of Commissioners voted earlier this year to demolish the former seed warehouse, but decided to explore scaling the renovation project down. Those bids were rejected because they were too high.

Tuesday evening, the commissioners voted 4-1 to accept the low bid of $101,900 to demolish the building and salvage what is possible.

Commissioner Kitty Strode voted against the motion.

Several community members, though, asked the commissioners to consider shoring up the facade on two sides, while removing the rest, as a way to preserve a link to the building’s history.

“I know there’s a lot of fatigue about this project,” architect Meredith Guy said, “but once we tear it down, it’s gone.”

Lara Thornbury asked the commission for 60 days to explore the possibility, plan for saving the portion of the facade and start fundraising.

“We want one more chance,” she said.

Guy said she received one estimate that stabilizing the two walls could cost another $40,000.

The majority of the commission, though, was ready to move on.

“In 60 days, we’ll have someone ask for one more chance and some kid will crawl in there and get killed,” Commissioner Shannon Cox said. “I won’t have that on my conscience.”

Winchester Mayor Ed Burtner said the project to convert the building into a welcome center and office space had been ongoing for more than six years.

“This will be my third vote to demolish the property,” he said.

Winchester City Manager Matt Belcher said a committee had already pursued what was discussed Tuesday.

“This was discussed early on,” he said. “We explored the option. The whole facade discussion has been had.”

“I’ve wrestled with this for six and a half years,” Cox said. “We’ve done it all and the building could fall down tonight. It’s a public danger. … It’s got to go or somebody’s going to get killed up there.”

During the summer, two people were arrested for entering the building and starting a fire inside. Police and fire officials have not allowed anyone to enter the building.

The bid for the project included a number of options for salvaging parts of the property. Grant’s submitted a base bid of $75,000. Alternates brought the total bid up to $101,900. The commission also authorized Belcher to negotiate with the contractor about what parts could be salvaged.

Five other companies submitted bids, with the highest being a total bid of $185,635.

The commission also took the following action:

— accepting the resignation of Justus Daniel from the Winchester Housing Authority Board. Michael S. Smith was appointed to fill the remainder of Daniel’s term.

— approved the second reading of an amendment to the city’s out-of-town travel policy for city employees.

— approved the second reading  of an amendment to the job description for firefighter III.

— rescinded the order to hire Andrew Harris as firefighter I/EMT. Fire officials said Harris changed his mind.

— reclassified Kellen Walker, Zachary Sego, Matthew Moses, Christopher Hall and James Griffith from firefighter I/EMT to firefighter II/EMT.

— accepted the resignation of firefighter I/EMT Trevor Neel and patient transfer specialist/EMT Victoria Bordeau.