GREENE – Voters at town meeting Saturday debated options for upgrading the town office before agreeing that a new one would be built on the current site.

Town Manager Charles A. Noonan described the current building as having inadequate space, failing facilities and no handicapped accessibility.

Proposals including moving the town office long-term into the fire station for an estimated cost of $50,000 or a putting up a new building at a different site for an estimated $650,000.

Fire Chief Phil Lavoie stressed the benefit the fire department gets from its spacious building, citing income from training courses for surrounding communities, and proposing that it remain solely a fire station.

“We are a volunteer department and are very fortunate to have what we have. I’d hate to lose that,” Lavoie said.

Sheldon Bubier argued that in these harsh financial times consolidating into the free space at the fire station was the only economical thing to do.

After much debate, voters passed the amended motion of moving the town office temporarily to the fire station, while a new office is built at the original site with funds not exceeding $20,000 to be allocated for design and bidding work from the capital improvement fund.

Voters approved $214,340 in administration compensation, raising wages from those in 2008. Brenda Theriault of the Budget Committee explained that if the town wanted to keep good help, it needed to pay for it.

People commended the work done by the administration; however, some, such as Robert Hack, felt that in light of the tough economic times, the timing may be wrong.

“In these hard times when people are losing their jobs, only in the town of Greene do we give pay increases,” Hack said.

Voters also passed a motion to spend $100,000 from capital reserves on engineering, design, permitting and construction oversight services for the permitting of a boat launch on Allen Pond. The Maine Department of Conservation will provide additional funds.

Selectman Mark Christman said a boat launch could potentially bring recreational fishing to the area, attracted by stocked fish, while keeping the pond naturally clean.