CARIBOU, Maine – Caribou Fire & Ambulance received the green light from councilors Monday to proceed with potential structural upgrades to the fire station on High Street.
Councilors authorized the fire department to put out a request for proposals for architectural and engineering work to determine what upgrades are most needed.
The city council’s municipal building’s committee is recommending that the department install new smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, updated fire alarm and sprinkler systems, new windows and heat pumps and an air-exchange system for living quarters.
They also recommend separating dorms and restroom areas for male and female first responders and moving the fire chief and administrative assistant’s offices to the first floor of the neighboring Lions Club building to separate space needed to clean used firefighting equipment.
In total, $2,534,340 in funding is available for all the suggested upgrades, said City Manager Penny Thompson. That includes $1,358,357 in congressionally directed spending, $234,340 of the city’s federal American Rescue Plan Act allocation, $106,643 from a 2022 County ARPA grant, and $835,000 from the city’s 2022 capital improvement budget.
Councilors also voted in favor of installing 30 new LED streetlights in parts of the city that need more coverage.
After looking at a list of recommended areas and driving by to inspect the lighting, the council’s highway protection committee opted to prioritize 28 locations that include Solar Drive, Alpha Street, Beta Street, Superior Drive, Russ Street, Peterson Avenue, Fort Street, Garden Circle, Caroline Avenue, Smith Street, the intersection of Washington and Church streets, Vaughn Street, Sincock Street, the bike path bridge near Sincock, York Street, Willow Street and Spring Street.
The $23,790 in funds for that project will come from the city’s LED lights reserve account, which has a current balance of $88,575, Thompson said.
Councilors also voted in favor of using the city’s remaining federal ARPA allocation balance of $67,488 toward police department wages so that less funds will be raised through taxation for those wages.
The council opted to not use the ARPA funds to pay for lighted decals on the fire department’s rescue trailer or for travel expenses pertaining to a local nonprofit’s recent broadband study.
In 2021, the city used $159,000 in ARPA monies for a city-wide broadband study that was a collaboration between the nonprofit Business Investment Group and Pioneer Broadband.
Members of the Business Investment Group requested the city reimburse $3,783 for travel expenses related to training that the group attended, but councilors said that they only agreed to pay for the study.
In other business, Thompson said that the city could potentially be eligible for federal Brownfields funding to clean the remains of a January 2023 fire that occurred at a 7 Water St. apartment building.
Maine Department of Environmental Protection is applying for grant funding and will include the Water Street site on a list of potential cleanup properties, Thompson said.
Last year, the city decided to waive foreclosure on 7 Water St. because they did not have a clear picture of the cleanup costs.
The city will use a separate Brownfields grant to remove hazardous waste from the now defunct diesel plant on Lower Lyndon Street after the federal Environmental Protection Agency finishes cleaning up the adjacent steam plant.
The Caribou City Council will meet on Monday, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. at Caribou Municipal Building at 25 High St.
