RANDOLPH — Residents in this town of 2,000 people will vote Wednesday on appropriating additional funding for the cost of building the new fire station. The town is asking for $250,000 due to construction overruns.
The town voted for a $1.2 million bond at the Town Meeting in 2020 for the design and construction of the fire station.
“It’s for what we expect to be construction overruns; it’s more expensive than it would regularly be,” selectman Matt Drost said, alluding to the increased cost of construction and labor driven by national inflation.
Drost said the costs could end up being less than the projected amount of $250,000, but that they would rather over-budget for the project — the money will come from the town’s general fund.
Construction for the three-bay fire station has not started yet, but bids were due Tuesday, the day before the Town Meeting, which will be Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the town office. Drost said the select board will review the construction bids and show the renderings and ideas Wednesday at the meeting.
The overall town budget is projected at $2,885,964 — an increase of $410,304 from last year’s set budget of $2,475,660 and the town will vote on 51 warrant articles.
Drost said the budget is “pretty straightforward” and the town outlined the additional costs to the budget in a newsletter on its website. The other area of the budget that is highlighted in addition to the fire station is a $5,000 donation to Johnson Hall Performing Arts Center in Gardiner.
Most other areas of the budget are the same as last year — the proposed cost for office salaries is $112,000, winter plowing and salting has a projected amount of $70,000, and trash pick up for the year to bring trash to Hatch Hill in Augusta is $17,770.
Ambulance services are up $15,500 from last year, bringing the total proposed amount to $37,660. The town website said it’s for a fixed capita fee and increase in calls for Gardiner Ambulance Service, which serves seven towns and five area hospitals. Gardiner Ambulance has around 3,000 emergency calls a year and will use the increase in money for insurance, workers’ compensation and a “fly car” for Gardiner that will improve call times. A fly car is an emergency vehicle staffed by paramedics, but with no transport capabilities.
Road capital improvements is the same as last year, $300,000 is projected from $200,000 from the general fund and $100,000 from taxation. This will be used for road repair. The town will ask for $100,000 for road paving and sidewalk repair for Maureen, South Maple, Lewis & McKenna, Lincoln and Hillcrest streets.
“Every year there is a different thing to work on,” Drost said. “A few years ago it was the sewer, now it’s the roads. There is a cycle and we are able to attack something every budget.”
The select board is asking for a salary of $18,000 for the three members, that includes Drost, Mark Roberts and Robert Henderson. The salary is the same ask from last year.
And for money going back to the community, in addition to the $5,000 ask for Johnson Hall, Randolph will ask for $11,250 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Kennebec Valley and $17,077 for the Gardiner Public Library.
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