LIVERMORE FALLS — Selectmen voted Tuesday to hold a special town meeting Feb. 26 to ask voters to finance a $5.75 million upgrade of the Wastewater Treatment Plant and pay for a firetruck. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at the Town Office.
The treatment plant was built in the 1970s and underwent a nearly $6 million upgrade in 1998. The cost was shared by Livermore Falls and Jay.
Town Manager Stephen Gould says the project would be paid for by a $4.28 million loan and $1.47 million in grants and other relief. The interest rate would be about 3.25 percent over 30 years. Livermore Falls and Jay would split the cost evenly.
The firetruck, if voters approve, would replace a 1988 ladder truck and the 1993 Engine One, which have had thousands of dollars’ worth of repairs in recent years.
Fire Chief Edward Hastings IV put $20,000 in his 2019-20 budget for repairs to the two trucks.
In December, the board directed him to get prices and options on a combined pumper-ladder-tanker truck, both new and used.
A new truck would cost between $550,000 and $750,000, according to his proposal. The truck would last about 30 years. A budget of $600,000 to $625,000 would allow room to negotiate, he said.
A used truck would be at least $100,000 and would last 10 to 15 years. A budget of $300,000 to $350,000 would allow room for negotiating, Hastings said.
The chief said dealers contacted him after stories about repairs and the selectmen’s directive were published in the newspaper, leading him to believe they would be able to negotiate prices if money were available.
Hastings mentioned financing options that include lease-purchase or borrowing from the Maine Municipal Bond Bank.
The options before voters would be to buy a new or used truck, or no truck.
The Budget Committee will hold its first meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Town Office to elect a chairperson and secretary and to review budget information. The committee plans to meet at 6:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month at the Town Office during budget season.
dperry@sunmediagroup.net
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