HALLOWELL — With the Hallowell City Council having voted in January to keep the nearly 200-year-old former fire station at 124 Second St., municipal officials are now discussing best uses for the space and possibly seeking more design plans.
Last year, the city heard a presentation from Bangor-based Artifex Architects & Engineers that would have brought the building into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act as it served as space for the police station and food pantry. Officials, however, were split on whether the plan was worth pursuing.
Artifex estimated construction costs — to include masonry, steel, roofing, siding, replacing windows, applying drywall and other needs — at about $2.3 million.
Hallowell officials are still considering plans for the former fire station at 124 Second St. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
After other expenses, such as estimates for general conditions, overhead and profit, design contingency, escalation, bond and insurance, were included, the overall cost of the project was estimated at about $3.2 million.
The main point of contention with the Artifex plan was the amount of space given to the police station, bringing the department from an 800-square-foot station in the basement of City Hall to 4,000 square feet at the former fire station.
Mayor George Lapointe described this move as “going from an old pickup truck to a Cadillac.”
Councilor Berkeley Almand-Hunter said earlier this year that while she supported giving city police a new space, she thought such a large expansion was “ridiculous.”
Police Chief Scott MacMaster agreed with Almand-Hunter that the plan was “overkill,” saying he would support a more-feasible alternative.
Councilor Michael Frett, who also serves as chairman of the city’s property and public lands committee, said the group met last Thursday at the old fire station, toured the entire building and discussed how each floor of the building might look under different plans.
“The committee did not take exception with — and is in support of — what the police chief views as workable for a viable Police Department being installed there,” Frett said. “It appeared to us that additional space now exists — open space for public usage, as well as additional space downstairs for the food pantry.”
Frett said the committee’s main issues are how to rework the plan to accommodate for ADA access, the building’s structural needs and changes for parking.
The big question, he said, is would the new plan result in less space than the plan presented by Artifex. Although the committee’s plan shows more space for public use, it does not yet include the exact square footage proposed for police and community use.
Frett said if the City Council were to approve the general concept pitched by the committee, the plan would have to go to an architect.
Lapointe asked the council’s next steps given current issues and concerns.
City Manager Gary Lamb said he would go through the building with the city’s computer automated drafting specialist and obtain measurements of the building’s rooms. He also said the new plan would have to go to an architect or structural engineer soon.
The City Council could ask the finance committee to set aside money for architectural work, which would ideally be done before the matter goes to voters, according to Lamb.
“My recommendation to you is, don’t ask the voters a question on the bond issue unless we have architectural and structural engineering plans in hand,” he said.
Frett agreed, saying the city might be at a point where it need choose the Artifex proposal or the latter plan and move on with the project.
Councilor Diana Scully asked if the revised plan would go to Artifex or be sent to another architectural firm.
Lamb suggested putting the project out to bid.
“Competition is great,” Lamb said, “and I wouldn’t want to go with the price from just one firm.”
Councilor at Large Maureen AuCoin said it might be easier for the city to continue working with Artifex, because it knows the building, its history and previous cost estimates.
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