NEW SHARON – More than 100 residents attended Monday night’s special town meeting about whether the town office and fire station buildings should be replaced. After lengthy discussion, the article was voted down in a 58 to 71 vote.
The building that stands as the Town Office was built in 1950 to serve as the local high school and was purchased by the town after the district consolidated. The fire station resides in a structure that was built as a carriage house in the early 1800s. According to the building committee’s presentation, both buildings have seen significant damage and decline in the last 30 years. Town management has been considering a project since 1980.
A series of photographs were presented to residents in the Cape Cod Hill School gymnasium, showing details of the leaking roof, mold growth, asbestos exposure and the deteriorating structure. Due to these issues, the building’s previous insurer refused to offer coverage, according to the committee’s presentation, and management had to seek other options.
“In addition to the structural and environmental issues, the building is inadequate size for all of the trucks and gear,” Chair Selectman Travis Pond said.
A building committee formed several months ago to develop a proposal, which was presented to residents in an informational portion of the meeting prior to Monday’s vote. Dirigo Engineering had drawn up a proposal to build a joint fire station/town office at the site of the current town office and ball field.
Many residents voiced their concern over the impact to taxes if the building proposal were to pass. If it had passed, the project would have been funded through a 12-month construction loan at 2.54 percent interest through Camden National Bank. At the conclusion of construction, the bank loan would have been paid off by financing through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development, at an interest rate of 3.5 percent over 30 years. In total, the project was estimated at costing $2.98 million in principal and interest.
The town’s Fire Station Reserve account, consisting of approximately $300,000, would have gone toward the project to reduce the amount the town would be required to borrow.
In addition to an increase in taxes, residents were concerned about what they described as the fast paced planning phase of the project, saying they wanted more time to think things over and weigh out all of the options. Some residents were also concerned about what would happen to the ball field if the building had been approved. Pond said some options had been discussed, but it would be up to the town to appropriate the money from the General Assistance fund to rebuild the field.
Others supported taking care of the issues at hand, saying the new building had been a long time coming.
The final vote was 58 in favor to 71 opposed.
Yeah!!!good thinking New Sharon. We don’t need to spend 2 million bucks right now.
$3MM Is obscene for a facility for a town the size of New Sharon. They need a new building committee if thats the best they can come up with.
I must admit, I am quite impressed with the willpower of the residents of New Sharon. I think it should be clear by now that the residents want NO NEW TAXES, no matter what, the heck with the implications! The majority of us are on fixed income so we can’t afford to invest for the future. Soon we will see the big booming economy when America becomes “Great Again” and then our kids will have such fantastic jobs, terrific wages, and tremendous lives.
I think we should wait until the tax cut in congress is passed and we have more money in our pockets. This project has been under consideration for almost 40 years and if we do a little more careful and timely planning, we can probably do better in the future.
As a former Selectman I applaud the voters wisdom, Down the road there may be a certifiable need for those buildings. Not now though.
FTown Bryan where did you get your figures, the building that was on list was a 1.7 million, and the town wanted 2 million in case of cost over runs if the money wasn’t use it would go back to down the amount of the loan, think you out of towners need to come to the meeting and learn or stay out of your town business or better yet move in and need to the tax base or are you another person who think that taxes will down if more business come to town, get educated
Jim Nasieum a land owner try to bring in new taxes for the town but only a handful of people show up for that meeting was you there did you hear all the questions that did not have anything to do with the project or the ones that were so far out in left, you sound like everyone who think taxes going down because of a new business
a 100 business can come to town it will not lower your taxes, only if the mill rate drop that will lower your taxes, but it seem like a few people do not want any new business to come to town, and did you know that the town of New Sharon doesn’t have any commercial zoning, yet, so i would think that businesses would be excited about that and try to come to town and add to the tax base so the mill rate might drop,
So let me get this straight. You want and need a fire department. Because if you don’t have one, you’ll have to rely on a mutual aid town to get to you in time to save your house. But you’re willing to have the firemen operate out of an outdated, dilapidated structure full of mold and asbestos that won’t be insured should something happen. I understand not wanting taxes to be higher, but you all are failing to look at the big picture. I hope you never need your fire department, but if you should happen to…and they aren’t there…look in the mirror for the blame.
What you just did is called a Strawman argument, you are taking two extreme positions and pretending that people must be on one side or the other. Most of us live in a world of greys, not everything is black or white. Btw, I don’t live in New Sharon and have no dog in this fight, honestly if a new building is needed labor and material probably aren’t getting cheaper by kicking the can but I also believe a cheaper alternative is in order.
How many residents of New Sharon are living with leaky roofs, mold, and may have some type of asbestos insulation or tiles in their home should pay higher taxes to build a 2mil facility?
Pure:
If a private resident is living with those issues, they are not putting the rest of their neighbors at risk. Not providing a place to have a fire department is not an extreme position. I am also not misrepresenting the oppositions argument, the facts as stated in the article are as such “showing details of the leaking roof, mold growth, asbestos exposure and the deteriorating structure. Due to these issues, the building’s previous insurer refused to offer coverage, according to the committee’s presentation, and management had to seek other options.” It is also apparent by the comments presented that many people do not understand how spreading funding over a longer time, though admittedly adding cost in interest to the overall project, does make the payments a bit more palatable. Instead of bringing some solutions to the problem to the table, the overall consensus is “we’re not doing that” like it is a child asking for a toy. We ask the men and women of our local service departments to put their lives on the line each and every time they respond to a situation. The least that can be done is to provide a place to work that won’t make them ill to be in it, or that won’t fall down around them.
What about applying for a bond? Where, the town can choose to pay back over time? Typically, does not raise taxes with only making payments per year rather than paying the whole mortgage up front. Many towns do that when it comes to replacing municipal buildings and schools. The price tag does seem high, and am sure there would be a less expensive option, but someone should look into a bond.
The town does need a new Fire station. Town office can be fixed. If anything happens to the fire station we are not just out of a station. We are out of $2-4 million in equipment and services to town. We have needed a new station for 10 or more years. The longer you wait the more cost and restrictions.
I think this is a perfect reflection of our greedy society when we can read articles in the same newspaper(s) where towns cannot find/retain good firefighters and police officers due to low pay, but they can propose building a new facility to the tune of $3M.
It was 1.8 million not 3 million, stop escalating the the numbers, and the mold and asbestos issue is in the town office not the Fire Dept, the Fire Dept has out grown the present building, and they fail to remember the mill rate went down this year.
Love how these out of towners know everything about a town they do not live in, first let me tell you, I do live here, second if the town want to having Farmington to cover for us, it will cost about 100,000.00 a years, ok that what Farmington told us a few years back so like everything else cost goes up, so that 100,000.00 a year back then will probably be another 50,000.00 or so just guess here folk but I bet it close. But we voted that down too. we voted down a 2 an half acre of land right on Rt. 2 in town that was only 50,000.00, but that was to much, so how we look at what the town owns but that not good enough either, some people worry about the baseball fields there, town owns about 25 acres at the library that is all field and we could put them there along with a football field and others….. but that not good enough either, so you see what going on here the more we try to fixes stuff here in town the more resistance we get of the town folks, they all got bitches but I did not hear anyone coming up with solutions, but we see what happen after the state health inspector come to do a air quality check last time there were airborne mold spurs, not enough to shut it down but that was awhile along so we see how this will work out. My philosophy is ” if you are going to bitch about something, have a solution for it (or what you think will work), just don’t bitch about, it come up with a plan and we’re discuss it.
I would suggest the majority of New Sharon residents are in favor of replacing the outdated Firehouse and keeping the Historical Society intact with all the historical articles saved under one roof. I would also suggest the $3M proposal was not the best way to accomplish these goals.
PS – Amy – The proposal at Town Meeting was for a 30-year “Bond”, principal and interest totaled around $3M. A bond is a loan, and relative to a town, the interest is relatively low, as detailed in the Warrant.
Hilarious how the $$$ price jumps around from one commenter to the next…
Do I hear $5 million???
Going once,, going twice,,………..
Spencer my friend, I believe Monday night, you stood up and wanted to totally eliminate the Historical now you want save it, could you decide on which horse you’re gonna ride, and stick with that, obviously the citizens have no interest in it at all, you know I much rather be out kayaking and climbing mountains, then spending my time going to meetings staying informed, then we have the keyboard warriors that think these post will be considered, probably not, you need to come to the meetings and be informed, the fire department lot is a total “0.01” acre, the fireman are trespassing mostly when they park because the building which is cramped takes up pretty much the whole lot, and the chances of this town shrinking are minimum, the chances of New revenue zero. I hope all this People come join the meetings and voice their concerns, thoughts, and cares.
I attended the meeting to learn and vote. After thinking about all I heard. I heard some greedy people asking a lot of this town. I teach my children there is want and need. They need to go over their plan and think of what is needed before what they want. One person in particular was very upset about historical societ ypossiably not being part of building plan. One person suggested moving historical society to old Fire house. It wasn’t good enough for them they didn’t WANT that. That person is thinking about what they want rather than the fact that they are asking a whole town to pay for their want. Next a comment was made “we are better than that” “to have leaky trailer and porta potty” that is insulting half the town . Last I see we are not a rich town lots of people live in old trailers and old farm houses that leak, have no insulation, have aspestos etc… so the town is too good for that??? what kind of comment is that. The fire station needs new roof and more space They ARE being insured by KYES. I say we give town hall a double wide and call it a day with that problem and give fire department steel building approved by whom ever needs to approve if for extra equipment and parking and fix roof. If it aint good enough well to bad welcome to new sharon! They already have $300,00 to cover cost. historical society can have a insulated shed and put their stuff in there.
It is interesting to note that the largest New Sharon historical artifact is upstairs in the firehouse, unless it has, with much difficulty, been removed, the Russ Shay. It was put upstairs in the building years ago. The State of Maine labeled it the oldest pleasure vehicle in Franklin County.
Darlene Power, perhaps you should slow your horse down and re-read Spencer’s post. He didn’t say HE was in favor of anything, he proposed, and I quote: “I would suggest the majority of New Sharon residents are in favor of replacing the outdated Firehouse and keeping the Historical Society intact with all the historical articles saved under one roof.” Just an observation.
Maybe the fine Americans that live in New Sharon would support a new Fire Station if the school budget didn’t take all of their extra income. I know many folks that would be tickled pink to have two wooden nickels to rub together. I’m just thankful that Donald J. Trump is looking out for my best interest this holiday season with the tax cut. I’ll finally be able to loosen the old belt and upgrade to using 2-Ply again.