Unity to consider building fire station

UNITY – Residents will be asked at a special town meeting tonight to authorize spending up to $874,000 to construct a new fire station and to waive a right of first refusal for the Field of Dreams athletic complex.

At the annual town meeting in March, residents approved the abandoning the current fire station on leased land on Depot Street and building a new facility on 21/2 acres the town owns on School Street.

The article voters will be asked to approve authorizes spending up to $874,000, with $809,000 coming from a 30-year bond and $65,000 from the town’s general fund.

In a separate article, residents will be asked to spend up to $24,000 from surplus for additional land for the fire station.

Residents also will be asked to waive the right of first refusal the town holds on the Field of Dreams property, a complex of baseball field, tennis and basketball courts and boat launching area on Lake Winnecook, also known as Unity Pond, which was built be the late town benefactor Bert Clifford.

The Clifford Charitable Foundation, operated by Clifford’s widow, Coral, has offered the property to Unity College. The understanding is that the complex will remain accessible to the public when it is not in use by college teams.

The foundation also donated the Unity Centre for the Performing Arts to Unity College.

If the transfer of the athletic complex is approved by the town as proposed, the town’s right of first refusal would continue on the property with the college ownership.

In another article, residents will be asked to approve a Community Development Block Grant application for $40,000. If the town is successful in its grant bid, the funds would be used to establish a community boat-building program.

Approval from voters will also be sought at the meeting for the Board of Selectmen’s Oct. 16 order to discontinue Eleanor Drive without reserving a public easement.

At the hearing, public comment will be sought on the proposed CDBG application as well as on the update of the 2005 CDBG that created the community gym and fitness center.

A public hearing preceding the meeting begins at 6:45 p.m. at the Unity Elementary School. The town meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the same location.