LIVERMORE FALLS — Before repairs can be made on the Livermore Falls Fire Station, some junk inside must be removed, Fire Chief Edward Hastings IV told selectmen at their meeting Wednesday.
Asbestos will be removed before anything else is done. Town Manager Kristal Flagg said Acadia Contractors of Turner is doing the work for $4,950.
In order for new roof joists to be put in, ceiling tiles and other items will have to be taken out, Hastings said. A 40-cubic-yard roll-off container will be placed outside the fire station and fire department volunteers will put waste in it, he said.
Selectmen approved a contract between the town and architect George Parker for the station repairs.
Selectman Tom Barker asked if Parker had liability insurance and Flagg said he does.
Flagg said the town can’t start any construction on the station until financing is in place. Local banks “aren’t interested in this kind of amount for this long of a period of time,” she said.
At a special town meeting on Jan. 17, voters approved spending up to $650,000 for repairs to the fire station. The town will be borrowing money for 30 years, with an estimated interest rate of 2.75 percent.
Selectmen voted 4-0 to move forward with U.S. Department of Agriculture financing.
In other business, selectmen and the Budget Committee will hold their first joint meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, before the regular selectmen meeting.
“What we’d really like to do this year is have our budget meetings together if at all possible,” Board of Selectmen Chairwoman Louise Chabot. “That way, there’s no misinformation.”
Selectmen asked Flagg if there was a way of listing town employee benefits in different departments that would be separate from the other costs.
Flagg said the only way to change it would be to change the accounting system.
“Labor-wise, that’s the biggest item we’ve got, is labor,” Selectman George Cummings said.
Selectman Ron Chadwick said he thought the benefits for each department should be listed in the town report.
A public hearing on the budget is set for April 24.
The town is looking to do selective timber harvesting on a lot on Diamond Road. Flagg said she spoke with forester John Churchill, who said the harvest could bring the town significant money.
“He thinks there’s 80,000 feet of pine,” she said. “It’s hard to say if the wood is good until you cut it.”
Selectmen voted to have Flagg and Churchill put together bid specifications and advertise in local papers for proposals from certified logging professionals or master loggers.
Livermore Falls Fire Chief Edward Hastings IV, right, speaks at Wednesday’s selectmen’s meeting as selectman George Cummings, left, and Town Manager Kristal Flagg look on.