NEW SHARON — Voters authorized a loan for $744,000 Tuesday to replace the steel Bullens Mill Bridge on Crystal Vale Road, Town Clerk Pamela Adams wrote in email Thursday.

They also voted to raise and appropriate $19,402 from taxation as an advance to the New Sharon Water District on the 2025 payment for fire protection.

The Bullens Mill Bridge was built in 1940 over Muddy Brook. According to a Maine Department of Transportation inspection in 2022, the bridge deck is in “very good” shape but the primary structure is in “serious condition” and the substructure is in “fair condition.”

The board reviewed two bids to replace the bridge in June and chose the lowest by Wyman & Simpson in Richmond for $744,000. The other bid was about $1.2 million.

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.