HOPE – Residents paved the way for a new Hope Corner fire station by agreeing to a land swap with the Hope Historical Society.

Residents attending Monday night’s special town meeting approved the swap by a 57-1 vote. The measure passed without any discussion. When the vote was called, a flood of colorful voter cards were held high in the air showing support for the land transfer. The meeting adjourned 15 minutes after it began.

In researching the building permit for the new fire station, it was discovered that the land given to Hope for the purpose of building a new fire station was approximately 7 feet short of having enough road frontage to be considered a buildable lot. Hope Historical Society was willing to donate the 7 feet of road frontage needed, but they were already a nonconforming lot as their total lot size did not meet the required 40,000 square feet. A land swap was negotiated to address both issues.

Building permits are approved pending the results of the vote for the land swap. Construction should begin soon barring any further delays. The next step in this process is a ground breaking.

Donations to the building fund can be sent to Hope Volunteer Fire Department Hope Corner Building Fund, 6 Hatchett Mountain Road, Hope 04847.