WASHBURN, Maine — The town of Washburn will get a new public safety building thanks to some appropriated funds.
United States Sen. Susan Collins has secured $750,000 for the town of Washburn to construct a new public safety building. Washburn, with approximately 1,700 residents, has a fire department of 18 volunteers, and police department of three full-time officers.
“I saw firsthand the importance of replacing the more than 100-year-old municipal building to create a safer work environment and better protect the dedicated public servants and local community,” Collins said.
“By supporting the construction of a new facility, this investment would allow Washburn’s brave firefighters and police officers to continue to deliver reliable emergency services to protect local residents and businesses while also providing new office space for the town.”
The current Washburn public safety building is too small to accommodate features that would help the department run more effectively. Office space in the current building is very limited, with three full-time officers having to share two desks.
The building also lacks enough evidence storage for the department, and does not have a room for questioning people who are potentially involved in crimes..
The Fire Department is also in need of an up-to-date, larger tanker truck, but the current building is unable to house a vehicle of that size.
“This is very overdue,” said Washburn Town Manager Donna Turner. “The building is very old and any new equipment the fire department gets will not physically fit into the current building because equipment is larger these days, so we have been in a tough situation keeping their equipment up to date safety wise.”
According to Turner, there is no estimation for when construction on the new facility will begin, but the town will open bids for the project soon.
