Why November 5th?

The reason for having the vote in November is two-fold.  First, given that this is a presidential election, it is expected that there will be a much larger voter turnout than any town meeting or special town meeting vote.  This is a vote that impacts all residents and tax payers and it is believed that getting the feedback of as many people as possible is best.

Second, if approved, then the Town will be situated to apply for Congressionally Directed Spending funds when the applications are released in the spring of 2025.  The Town needs to have approved the project and the bonds in order to be in the running for CDS funds.  Not having approval to apply in the spring sets this necessary project back even further and there is a risk that the CDS program will end, eliminating this vital funding source.

It is understood that this is an aggressive schedule for getting information distributed but ultimately the ballot question will be the same with an adjusted bond amount and the building design will be similar with modifications.  Much of the background and baseline information is the same as has been presented over the months preceding the June vote.

How much is the proposed bond and why?

The voters will be asked to approve a bond of $8.5 million.  The total project cost, with contingency, is $12.5 million.  We are asking for $4 million less in hopes that we can get CDS funds and/or other grants or donations so as to minimize the ask from the taxpayers.  If voters approve the $8.5 million bond and we don’t receive the necessary supplemental funds, then the project will be scaled back to fit into the budget accordingly or perhaps not completed at all.

What is being done to ensure that we minimize our debt and get the best bond rates?

The above referenced bond information from the Maine Bond Bank is demonstrative.  Bond rates change, as do the structure of bonds.  The Town has worked with a bond consultant to get some preliminary thoughts about how we can borrow money in the most fiscally responsible manner and will continue to work with a consultant throughout the process.  Bonds can be put out to bid to get competitive interest rates and flexibility in terms of pay-off.  A bond consultant can also help us structure the timing of the issuance of bonds so as to strategically reduce the overall costs to taxpayers.

What is included in the new building design and what has changed from the previous building design?

·         General: The proposed building design uses the same general design as the previously proposed building.  The Town Office, Police Department and Fire Department are all located in separate wings with a common central area.  It will be a single-story building. The public entrance will be located off Recreation Drive.  Police and Fire apparatus responding to calls will use the Public Works driveway.

·         Town Office: The Town Office consists of 3 customer windows with associated clerk office space.  There will be a fireproof vault, additional CEO/Assessing storage area, elections equipment storage, workroom and copier area, offices for the CEO, Assessor, Bookkeeper, Town Manager, along with 2 extra office spaces for future growth.

·         Fire Department: The Fire Department will have 5 apparatus bays; these will store not only the fire engines, but also the forestry truck, side by side, trailer signboards, boats and other public safety equipment. There is turnout gear storage/lockers, storage for gear, medical supplies, uniforms, and SCBA equipment. There is a training tower, radio room, decontamination room, laundry room, kitchen/dining/dayroom area.  There are offices for the Fire Chief and Deputy Chief(s) and a small conference room that could be converted to office space in the future.  There are 2 bunk rooms, with 2 beds each.

·         Police Department: The Police Department consists of offices for the Chief, Lt., Sgt., Detective, and Patrol Officers.  There is storage for evidence, non-lethal supplies, armory equipment and records.  There are 2 interview rooms with monitoring and evidence processing area.  There is a booking area with space for 2 holding cells. There are 2 sally ports (secured garage spaces). There is a locker room.

·         Common Area: The common area consists of a lobby, public bathrooms, a large conference room, a small conference room, a shared breakroom, and a large meeting room that will be used for Select Board meetings, Town Meeting, Planning Board meetings, training room, and can serve as an Emergency Operations Center.

·         Changes from previous design: The conceptual building design decreased from 29,360 sq. ft. to 24,270 sq. ft. Most rooms were reduced in size, some spaces were eliminated entirely, and rooms were reconfigured. Notably the area for a fitness room was eliminated and a large conference room was reduced in size. 4 bunkrooms were removed; there will be 2 with 2 beds.  In the Fire Department there is now a combined admin storage/workroom. A future office and the training officer office space was removed. In the Town Office a storage area was reduced and the plan review meeting area was removed.  Numerous spaces in the Police Department were reduced in size.

There will be no basement.  The attic space will be designed to be utilized for storage and will be accessible via 2 separate stairways.  A section of attic space will be reserved for a future fitness room (accessible from commonly located stairs).

The Fire apparatus bays will be a pre-engineered metal building style of construction, resulting in further cost savings.

Have other properties been looked at and why are we proceeding with a Municipal Complex?

Over the years, numerous properties have been looked at to consider for the Town Office and/or Police Department, including properties on Main St, Portland St, and Porter Road.  Some of these ended up not being feasible locations or properties and a couple were rejected by the voters.  An analysis was done and it was determined that there is very little square footage available for addition at the Town Office, based on property line setbacks and the addition wouldn’t result in a functional addition that is worthwhile.

People have suggested utilizing various properties that have come up for sale since the Town has purchased the Bridgton Rd property and got deep into the building design process. It would be time consuming and costly to do a complete assessment of the commercial properties that are currently for sale. Furthermore, there are very specific needs and design requirements for municipal/public safety buildings and renovations to most properties would only result in minimal cost savings, if any, and there is a benefit to having a new, specifically designed building that abuts numerous other town departments on Bridgton Road.

While a complete analysis of the existing Fire Station has not been completed, our contracted architects (Port City Architecture), did come up with a rough estimate to add on to the existing fire station and to renovate it to meet code.  The estimate was approximately $6 million.

What are the design standards for these sorts of buildings?

When designing municipal buildings, especially public safety buildings, there are myriads of codes and regulations that need to be taken into account.  This is why we sought the expertise of an architecture firm that has extensive experience in designing public safety buildings. Codes include the International Building, NFPA, OSHA/BLS, and various other federal and state requirements.  There are also general practical considerations that need to be considered related to workflow, security, site planning, etc. This attached link leads to a document that is helpful in explaining some of the design considerations

    https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/design_of_fire_ems_stations.pdf

It has been said that there are grants for Public Safety buildings, so why include the Town Office?

Significant research has been done to investigate grant opportunities and while there are grants that might help with specific equipment or components within the building, there is not a specific funding source for new public safety buildings. The current exception is the availability of “Congressionally Directed Spending Funds” from the Senate or “Community Project Funding” from the House.  In fiscal year 2023, Congress designated $15.3 billion for about 7,200 local or community projects through this new process. This was in addition to designated funds totaling $9.1 billion for almost 5,000 projects in FY 2022. Senator Collins and Jared Golden are both proponents of supporting these public safety buildings as they recognize that there is a need to invest in small towns and their public safety needs. 

It is accurate that this funding will not cover the Town Office portion of the project, but the presence of the Town Office in the plans does not disqualify the project from funding.  The Town Office is the smallest and least expensive portion of the building and there is an urgent need for a new Town Office.  There is an efficiency in constructing a singular building (singular septic system, HVAC, utility connections, security system, etc.).  It also allows for shared spaces such as a break room and meeting rooms.  The large meeting room will be used as an Emergency Operations Center when necessary.

It is worth noting that there is constant interaction between the Town Office and the Police/Fire Department.  Everyone works together and is in continual communication to ensure that the town runs smoothly.  Having everyone in the same building will also improve operational efficiency.  The project has been designed to ensure that there are the necessary security separations for access within the building and for vehicles.  

How can I learn more and stay involved in the process?

Please watch the Town of Fryeburg Facebook page, the Town website (www.fryeburgmaine.org), and the new Municipal Complex website (www.fryeburgmunicipalcomplex.org) for the most up-to-date information.  Meetings are posted on the Town website calendar and at the Town Office.  Public hearings are advertised in the Conway Daily Sun.  Informational documents will be available at the Fryeburg Public Library as they become available.

Please mark October 15th on your calendar.  There will be a public hearing at 6:00 p.m. at the David & Doris Hastings Community Center to learn more about the project and proposal.

If you have questions, please ask them! There is an effort to get as much information out as possible, but it can be difficult to guess what questions everyone has.  As was done earlier in the process, a FAQ sheet will be available and will be updated along the way.  Please fact check what you read on social media; there has been a lot of inaccurate information circulated.

Reach out to the Town Manager with questions at 207-935-2805 or at townmanager@fryeburgmaine.org.

Summary:

Voters will be asked to approve an $8.5 million dollar bond at the elections on November 5th.  Elections will take place at the David & Doris Hastings Community Center from 8 a.m to 8 p.m.

The proposed Municipal Complex is 24,300 sq. ft. in size.

There will be a Public Hearing on October 15th at 6:00 p.m. at the David & Doris Hastings Community Center.

The proposed building is approximately 5,000 sq. ft. smaller than the building proposed in June 2024.  The bond requested is $8 million dollars less.

This list/page will continually be updated as questions arise; please check back.

Reach out to the Town Manager with questions

at 207-935-2805 or at

townmanager@fryeburgmaine.org.