Town hall expansion faces Eddington voters

EDDINGTON – Two dozen residents crammed into the town hall on Tuesday to continue a discussion about whether to construct a new addition to the building that the town and Fire Department have shared for 32 years, Town Manager Russell Smith said Thursday.

“Everybody knows we need space,” he said. “And we can do it without raising taxes.”

Tuesday’s meeting was the second of two public hearings held to discuss the issue before residents vote on the expansion during a special town meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. Aug. 15.

The projected debt service for the $950,000 project runs between $62,000 annually for a 30-year repayment plan and $76,000 annually for a 20-year loan term. If approved by residents, the project’s costs would be offset by several items in this year’s budget that have or will expire at the end of the year, Russell stressed.

The town manager said at a previous meeting that the town has about $63,000 to put towards the payment.

The expansion design plans, created by A.E. Hodsdon of Waterville, include an added structure on both the right and left sides of the current 3,500-square-foot municipal building that would add a total of 6,500 square feet of new space. The addition also would solve code violations and make the building Americans with Disabilities Act compliant.

The additions would create a new town hall on the left side of the current building and a three-fire truck bay on the right.

The municipal addition includes a meeting room, three offices, a records vault and kitchen.

In addition to the new bay, the old town office space would be renovated into offices, a laundry and bunk rooms for the Fire Department, while retaining the existing bays for the brush truck and rescue vehicle.

The expansion design plans are on display at the town hall.