Harpswell voters approved the construction of a $6 million central emergency services building, 818 to 734, and the demolition of a vacant waterfront building at George J. Mitchell Field, 877 to 676, in a town referendum on Tuesday, June 10.
The yes vote on the emergency services building authorizes the town to borrow $6 million “to design, construct, and equip” a station on Mountain Road.
The new facility will house the town’s firefighting staff, which supports Harpswell’s three volunteer fire departments. Those independent departments will continue to operate their own stations.
Town officials and the chiefs of the volunteer departments have said the addition of a central station will help ensure adequate fire protection amid a decline in volunteerism, and will improve response times to parts of the town. Opponents of the project have pushed for further study, expressing concerns about the cost and a possible negative impact on volunteerism.
The vote on the Mitchell Field administration building allows the town to spend $230,000 to demolish the aging structure at the former U.S. Navy fuel depot and remove hazardous materials. The proposal had support from majorities of the town’s Select Board and Mitchell Field Committee. However, a group of residents campaigned against it because they hoped to raise funds to renovate the building and transform it into a community center.
A third item on the town ballot, an amendment to the Harpswell Harbor and Waterfront Ordinance, easily passed, 1,196 to 331. The amendment adds “Legacy Fishing Areas” to the ordinance’s “Waters Classification Plan.”
Harpswell Harbormaster Paul Plummer has said the recognition of such areas, which the town has mapped, will provide town officials with more accurate information when they review aquaculture lease applications, wharf proposals, mooring requests, “and anything else that affects the shared waters of Harpswell.”
Also on Tuesday, Harpswell voters backed the budget for the upcoming school year in Maine School Administrative District 75, 1,251 to 287. Known as a budget validation referendum, the vote grants final passage to the budget after an initial, Town Meeting-style vote on May 15.
At $57.9 million, the budget is up 5.5% from the previous school year. Harpswell’s share is $11.3 million, an increase of 8.7%.
Harpswell Town Administrator Kristi Eiane has said the town’s property tax rate is estimated to increase from $6.36 to $6.64 per $1,000 of valuation, a 4.4% hike.
Voters also considered whether to continue the two-step process for budget approval. Harpswell voted 1,101 to 412 in favor of continuing.
As voters filed into the polling place at Harpswell Community School on Tuesday afternoon, an election official said interest in the issues was high.
“We’ve had a fantastic turnout,” said Jan Coombs, who served as moderator. “We’ve gone through most of the ballots we had.”
Sara Coughlin contributed reporting.
