CARIBOU, Maine — Caribou city councilors voted on Dec. 10, their last meeting of the year, to postpone any decisions regarding a new combined police, ambulance, and fire station until new councilors are seated.
The decision was brought to the board during the meeting’s public comment section, in which Caribou residents Milo Haney and Wilfred Martin said they would like to see the council hold off until the new members are seated, as they will be more involved with the decision than the outgoing councilors. Thomas Ayer and Jody Smith were elected in November to fill the seats being vacated by Phil McDonough and Tim Guerrette.
Before the councilors made a decision Monday, City Manager Dennis Marker explained the work of a Citizens Advisory Committee that had held meetings throughout the year on possible sites and options concerning future police, ambulance, and fire stations. The discussed options included half a dozen different sites as well as the possibility of constructing a standalone police station and fire station in separate locations. However, the majority of the committee members ultimately agreed to build a combined police, ambulance, and fire station on the former Birds Eye vegetable processing plant site adjacent to Route 1.
The item brought to councilors was to approve a funding package for the project, which at this point is estimated to cost roughly $10.5 million. Their approval would not lock the city into the project, as the funding package would still need to be approved by local voters next year. If the majority of residents approve the funding, the project would then go out to bid for design and engineering. Depending on how long this takes to accomplish, Marker said the project could be put out to bid for construction at some point in 2020, adding that contractors likely would not break ground until 2021 at the earliest.
Guerrette was not present Monday, but the remaining councilors, with the exception of outgoing councilor Phil McDonough, voted to hold off until the second meeting of 2020, or Jan. 14, to make a final decision regarding the funding package.
