SINCLAIR, Maine – County Commissioners toured the site of a future fire station in Sinclair, which will replace the village’s 80-year-old facility.
North Lakes Fire & Rescue operates the station in addition to two others in Madawaska and Cross Lake. County officials cited a serious need to replace Sinclair’s fire station, which is too small to accommodate modern fire vehicles. It is also located less than 150 feet away from the Long Lake shoreline, which is a violation of modern Land Use Planning Commission standards. But since it was built before the Land Use Regulation Commission (now the LUPC) was founded in 1971, it is not technically a violation.
And for these reasons, the County Commissioners earlier this year approved the purchase of a 7.96-acre lot of land for $75,000.
County Administrator Ryan Pelletier said that they have also applied for a congressionally directed spending application via U.S. Sen. Susan Collins’ Office. Pelletier is hopeful that he and County officials will hear a response on the federal funding this fall, but said it depends on when the U.S. House elects a new speaker.
“We did receive a notification from Senator Collins’ Office a couple months ago that it was included in her spending package,” he said. “So it’s looking good. It’s just that nothing has been finalized in Washington yet.”
And while the timeline for funding is uncertain, Pelletier said the County has a good plot of land once they have the money to move forward.
“We thought it would be prudent to secure a piece of property that would be ours, so that we’ll be ready to build once we get the funding,” he said.
Pelletier said the project is estimated to cost $3 million. This price includes all aspects, from engineering to construction.
The Catholic Diocese of Portland owns the land on which the current fire station sits, according to Pelletier.
“They had gifted the property to the Sinclair Department long before we ever got involved,” he said.
He added that Sinclair is the only unorganized territory in the state with its own fire station. It is also the only unorganized territory with its own public sewer system.
Pelletier said Paul Bernier, Aroostook County Community Services Director, facilitated the county’s purchase of the new plot of land.
“It’s not going to have any major impact on neighboring structures,” Bernier said. “It’s in its own little area. It’s not going to block the view from any neighboring houses or facilities. It’s a perfect site. It’s right in the heart of Sinclair, which is a good thing. It’s very accessible. And we haven’t heard anything but good stuff from the public.”
North Lakes Fire & Rescue Chief Darren Woods said the building will be simple, but practical.
“If you look at the stations in Mapleton, Mars Hill and Limestone, they’re all kind of cookie-cutter fire stations, and they are designed that way on purpose,” he said, “so a smaller community can get a decent station that meets all their needs, and is less expensive.”
Woods said the new building will be similar to Limestone’s fire station.
“I’m working with the fire chief [in Limestone],” he said. “He’s given me his building plans. Everything is going to be fairly similar, but a little bit smaller because we don’t need four doors. We’re looking at two doors for truck access.”
The station will also have a training area, as well as room for expansion and storage in addition to a small office and kitchen. And unlike the old station, the new building will have backup power and hot water.
“There are a lot of upgrades that will come with the new station,” Woods said. “The volunteers have put a lot of time and effort into the old station to keep it going and to keep it in good shape. But it’s just worn out. It’s time.”
