BETHEL – Come November, Bethel voters might just see the local ambulance barn expansion project back on the ballot.

At Monday night’s Board of Selectmen meeting in the town office, Selectman Reggie Brown asked the board to reconsider the issue by placing a warrant item before the town at the Nov. 4 statewide referendum election.

At town meeting in June, the Bethel Rescue ambulance barn expansion project, estimated to cost $150,000, was shot down by a tie 314-314 vote. A recount later confirmed the tie was accurate.

Selectman Don Bennett concurred with Brown, saying that the board ought to put the proposal to a re-vote.

“I think it’s the best way to provide what we need for an ambulance facility,” Bennett said.

The June 10 vote came on Municipal Referendum Question 2 that asked voters to approve the design, construction and equipping of the town’s ambulance station on lower Main Street to improve existing facilities by borrowing up to $150,000.

Prior to that tie vote, voters by a narrow margin, approved designing, building and equipping a 10,000-square-foot fire station for $1.3 million to replace the current 5,000-square-foot station.

“I have a problem because we put it to referendum and 628 people voted and it didn’t pass,” said Selectman Al Barth. “I said before that vote to both groups – Bethel Rescue and Bethel firefighters – ‘It’s up to you guys to sell the project,’ but the ambulance people didn’t get out the vote. Frankly, they blew it. They didn’t market it. So I’m reluctant to have this go out again.”

Bennett explained some of the woes involved with the current station.

“They don’t have the room to operate. They don’t have any room to keep their records. They even have to sleep on the floor. We could wait a year for land to become available, but that could cost either $65,000 or $45,000 just for the land. If we do it now, we can satisfy this problem for $150,000,” Bennett added.

He said that if the board decided to tackle it again in a year, they could be looking at a $300,000 to $350,000 project.

And because the fire station project referendum preceded the ambulance station referendum, Bennett said there was confusion among some voters who thought that if they voted for the new fire station, the ambulance barn project went with it.

“You can say it was a tie and that it was defeated, but there was a number of people who didn’t understand the issue. Shame on them,” Bennett added.

Selectman Chairman Harry Dresser Jr. agreed with Barth, saying, “The ambulance people missed an opportunity. They don’t know how to be political or assertive.”

Dresser said he felt that the board should reconsider re-voting.

“We’re extremely fortunate to have that service,” he said of Bethel Rescue. “I think it’s pertinent to ask the voters if that’s what you mean and be embarrassed about it.”

He then asked Town Manager Scott Cole to draft a warrant item for the project for discussion at the next board meeting on Monday, Sept. 8.

Cole said the $150,000 was only a rough estimate and that the town, despite putting it out to bid several times, never got a firm bid.

Then Brown suggested that rather than borrow the money for the project, the town could take the money out of its $1.3 million undesignated funds account. Dresser advised Cole to add that option on the warrant.

That mollified Barth.

“If the people want it, we can use the undesignated fund money to cover it,” he said.

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