I have multiple concerns about the proposal to build a fourth, $6 million fire station on Mountain Road.
First and most obvious, given our remote geographical circumstances, the three existing fire stations seem well sited. They place most homes within the 5-mile distance from a fire station that is critical for both response time and insurance premiums.
The real problem seems to be a lack of volunteerism, especially given the age of our population and the lack of affordable housing here. It is hard to imagine a near-term solution to this problem.
Accepting the need for on-site, paid firefighters, the real hurdle is where to house them. The Orr’s and Bailey Islands Fire Department has built facilities for staff, but the same is not true for either of our other departments.
It’s hard to believe that the best solution to this problem is to build an expensive fourth station in a place that is distant from most of the settled parts of Harpswell, without taking a hard look at adding staffing space (and renovating as necessary) at Cundy’s Harbor and Harpswell Neck.
To my knowledge, there has been no recent, definitive study of this alternate addition/renovation scheme, cost-wise. Nor have I seen any real projections about the cost of maintaining four stations or the response times from Mountain Road to Potts Harbor, Land’s End, or the southernmost points of Cundy’s Harbor.
Has anyone considered how fast the generous gifts to our volunteer departments might dry up in the face of a large property tax increase to support the Mountain Road station?
Like most aging Maine towns, we have a serious problem to solve with fire protection, but the best long-term solution requires more study than this dismissive proposal.
Scott Gile, Orr’s Island
