MIDDLETOWN — Despite pleas from beachgoers, the Town Council last night denied a proposal to place a $5-million bond question on the November ballot for construction of a new Second Beach pavilion.

Some council members said the price tag was just too high in the face of tight finances and competing interests.

“I just think we have to look at the timing,” said Councilman Edward J. Silveira Jr., noting that the Fire Department’s station has long needed repairs but been passed over. “I just cannot support this. I think we need to prioritize.”

Silveira joined Robert J. Sylvia and Louis P. DiPalma in voting against the bond question. Council president Paul M. Rodrigues, Shirley R. Mello and M. Theresa Santos voted for it. (Barbara A. Barrow was absent.)

The beach pavilion dates to the 1970s and has seen few repairs, according to members of the Beach Commission. The pavilion’s roof and deck were repaired and the restrooms renovated just before the start of this beach season. But the building’s plumbing, electric system and railings, among other things, all need work.

Architectural sketches for the new building include bathrooms, concession, a “community clubhouse” and outdoor showers, all on raised decking near the footprint of the old pavilion, which would have been demolished. The design, officials said, is similar to that at Easton’s Beach, in Newport.

“We feel that the beaches are Middletown’s identity,” said Rian M. Wilkinson, chairman of the town’s Beach Commission. “I’ve never been proud of that building.”

Wilkinson acknowledged the concern about timing, but warned that construction costs would inevitably rise if the commission tries again two years from now.

“We can’t keep putting money into that building,” Wilkinson said. “It’s just simply going to get worse and worse. Our idea is to have something we can be proud of. Don’t think of it as a changing room. Think of it as a focal point from April to October. Give us a chance.”

Wilkinson said the town could make money by holding seasonal events at a new pavilion, like Westerly and Narragansett does.

Resident Ronald Santa doesn’t like the beach but agreed that a new building should be built — just don’t make him pay for it.

Santa earned chuckles when he suggested a “pay-as-you-bathe” system, similar to the pay-as-you-throw trash pickup program, under which beach users only would pay for the pavilion upgrades through higher sticker costs.

The annual debt payment would have been funded from both the Parks and Recreation Fund and the town’s general fund, and would not have impacted the tax rate.

DiPalma suggested that the building’s scale — 15,862 square feet, including deck and stairs — be downsized, but town officials said the project plan is suitable as it is.

In the end, the concept didn’t pass muster.

mwims@projo.com