Hallowell officials consider putting fire station renovation question on November election ballot

The aged Hallowell Hearth Department station on Second Road, noticed in 2020, could be the subject of a nonbinding query for voters this November as officers seem to spend up to $4 million to renovate the developing for new makes use of. The construction was crafted in 1828. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal file

HALLOWELL — Town officers are taking into consideration a nonbinding referendum query on the November ballot asking voters if they would help spending up to $4 million to renovate the city’s practically 200-yr-previous fire station.

Underneath the approach, there would be a new police department room on the middle ground, the food stuff pantry to keep on in the basement and with extra house, and for most of the top rated floor to be employed as local community assembly or museum room.

The city voted in January to keep the nearly 200-calendar year-previous fireplace previous fireplace station on 124 2nd St., and officers have been discussing takes advantage of for the making for many decades.

The metropolis last calendar year listened to a presentation from Bangor-dependent Artifex Architects & Engineers about how the constructing could be introduced into compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Act.

The all round venture price tag was estimated at $3.2 million, which features all content charges and estimates for general disorders, overhead and gain, style and design contingency, escalation, bond and insurance policies.

Councilors have been split on no matter if or not to go after this strategy, with the principal disagreement becoming whether or not or not it was reasonable to provide the police division from its present 800-sq.-foot station in the metropolis hall basement to a proposed 4,000 square feet at the previous hearth station.

City Supervisor Gary Lamb said throughout a Monday evening council conference that he has returned to Artifex with the city’s fears, and that they’re presently performing out if $120,000 would be enough to address the police department’s structural requirements.

Councilor Michael Frett agreed with putting the dilemma on the November ballot.

“I consider at this stage we will need to have the backing of citizenry weighing on that choice,” he claimed, “and I imagine this is an exceptional way to do that. I would shift for, or like to see us go to finalize all those queries so we know they are in location.”

Councilor Kate Dufour agreed, and advised that town officials also create an instructional campaign concerning the venture, despite the simple fact that the election dilemma would nonbinding and would not have legal drive.

The council also mentioned a next concern about the doable development of a new multi-bay community performs facility in an volume not to exceed $2 million in local monies. Lamb, on the other hand, explained that the city has been in talks with Farmingdale about potentially sharing a public performs section make, which could indicate the dilemma is not required.

Frett included that, if Farmingdale and Hallowell do collaborate, they might be qualified for condition funding due to the fact it would be a transfer in a much more regional, collaborative, path.

Councilor Berkeley Almand-Hunter requested about the city’s progress with funding for the hearth station, and Mayor George Lapointe reported officials used for $3.2 million, the determine Artifex delivered, via the place of work of U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.

“I really do not know what sort of chance we have amongst all the other funding resources, but it was an effortless thing to request and so that is in flight,” claimed Lapointe, introducing that they have a variety of letters supporting their ask for.

When asked about a deadline for the November referendum questions, City Clerk Diane Polky mentioned the concerns must be submitted by the city’s Sept. 12 council assembly.

“That’s a drop dead deadline, since of absentee voting,” she claimed.

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