LIVERMORE FALLS — A special town meeting to decide whether to repair or replace the fire station is set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 21.

At Tuesday’s selectmen meeting, architect George Parker of Lincoln/Haney Engineering Associates Inc., presented three options for fixing the fire station.

The first, at a cost of approximately $1.08 million, would fix the concrete foundation and apparatus bay. It would include new insulation and siding, a wheelchair-accessible bathroom, showers, a washer and dryer room, and two new offices.

The apparatus bay “is really undersized,” Parker said.

The second option, at approximately $1.34 million, would increase the size of the apparatus bay, install new flooring and Sheetrock, and a new ceiling.

A third option, priced at $1.56 million, would tear down the station and build a new one on the same site.

“The pricing for this was predicated on using a pre-engineered building system,” Parker said.

Fire Chief Edward Hastings IV read a statement from the firefighters expressing the Fire Department’s support for putting up a new building on the current site. A new building would provide for a better concrete foundation to put the trucks on, a hose-drying tower inside it, better ventilation, and a kitchen with modern appliances large enough to host community events or provide refuge in an emergency.

“Having a fire station is a necessity to provide adequate fire protection for the community,” he said.

The other two options, Hastings said, were nearly as expensive and wouldn’t address the Fire Department’s long-term needs.

“In the end, the fire station is going to be our home, no matter what is decided,” he said.

Resident Robert Jones asked about the time frame needed to construct a building.

Parker said it would take at least two months to put together design bid documents, one month to allow firms to bid on the project, and another six months for construction.

“The pre-engineered building could possibly move faster,” he said. “Generally, with all your subcontractors and the demolition, no matter which one you’ve got, you’re probably looking at at least a six-month construction period.”

Jones recalled that earlier this year, the town had voted to have the minimum amount of repairs necessary to bring the building up to code and allow the town to have a usable fire station.

“I’m not saying what was done was wrong, but I don’t think we got what we voted to get,” he said.

Parker said three options gives residents more choices and more information.

“There’s no real minimal fix,” he said.

bmatulaitis@sunmediagroup.net

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