One last look at firehouse plan before next week's vote

KENT — About 60 townspeople assembled at a meeting Friday evening, April 20, to hear details of the firehouse proposal from members of the Firehouse Building Committee.

Taxpayers will get a chance to vote on the plan in a referendum at the end of this week.

Committee member Jim Canning gave a concise account of how the proposal evolved.

"Since 2000, four building committees and a lot of people have looked at this," including proponents and opponents of the 2005 plan, which was first narrowly approved and subsequently rescinded.

The meeting was subdued, with only a handful of questions and no audience member taking a firm stand one way or the other. One citizen wanted to know if there was any chance of seeing a drawing of the building prior to this Friday’s vote.

"It seems that we’re voting for a number, not something folks can get their arms around," he said.

Committee member John Worthington said that the two remaining proposals (from the original five) were both very close to each other and both fit the specifications of the committee, including architectural compatibility. But because both the design and the construction are the responsibility of the winning bidder, no specific architectural plans are available.

Selectman Nancy O’Dea-Wyrick, a committee member, noted that copies of the bids are available in the selectmen’s office for voters to examine.

Another questioner wished to know if the building would be constructed using "green" materials. Worthington said that while the committee has little control over the materials used in pre-engineered construction, "We intend to take advantage of the CL& P [EnergyStar] products — furnaces, that kind of thing."

Board of Finance Chairman George Jacobsen spoke to the question of whether the town can afford the project, and what it would do to the ability of the town to take on additional projects in the future.

"Yes, we can afford it," he said, adding that the town’s capacity for borrowing is much greater than what the firehouse will require.

Jacobsen broke it down into this: The firehouse will cost the taxpayer half a mill for 15 years, or an additional $100 per year, for 15 years, for the owner of a house assessed at $200,000.

This scenario will hold true "regardless of schemes" used to put the financing together.

Jacobsen cautioned that when the costs of the firehouse are added to those of Kent Center School and the town’s share of the Region One school district budget, a situation will emerge that will "limit the amount of brand new projects" the town can take on.

The vote on the firehouse takes place tomorrow, Friday, April 27, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., at Town Hall.