NEW SHARON — Voters will be asked Aug. 13 to consider a loan for $744,000 to replace the steel Bullens Mill Bridge built in 1940 over Muddy Brook on Crystal Vale Road.

The town meeting will take place at 6 p.m. at the New Sharon Fire & Rescue building at 11 School Lane.

Voters will also be asked to raise and appropriate $19,402 from taxation as an advance on the 2025 anticipated payment for fire protection to the New Sharon Water District.

The Bullens Bridge deck is in “very good” shape, according to the Maine Department of Transportation’s October 2022 inspection report. The primary structure is in “serious condition” and the substructure is in “fair condition.”

The board received two bids June 14, according to meeting minutes. They were nearly $1.2 million from CPM Construction of York and $744,000 from Wyman & Simpson in Richmond.

With the passage of this article, future annual payments will be included in the operating budget beginning in 2025.

An explanation under the warrant article states that the annual debt service payments for a 10-year note will be about $70,000 per year and for a 15-year note, about $74,400. The board is working with three financial institutions to determine the best possible term and rate for the town.

The advance on the 2025 fire protection service for water/hydrants, will allow the New Sharon Water District to replace the telemetry system for about $12,000, which is fully reimbursable by the state. It will further allow trustees to meet necessary debt obligations in the 2024 calendar year while they continue to provide fire protection and clean drinking water to New Sharon residents, according to an explanation on the warrant.