VAN BUREN, Maine — Town officials came together on Thursday to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new fire station on State Street.
Fire Chief Brian Caron said the new building means a lot to the department and community, and will be a major boost in morale to the crew.
“Not that we had low morale, but [the new building] will definitely help boost it,” Caron said.
The contract was awarded to A.M. Construction & Roofing of Caribou with the low bid of $3.7 million. The town received $2.2 million in congressionally directed federal funding for the project. Town Manager Luke Dyer said he initially applied for this funding three years ago when he was serving as deputy manager.
Dyer said the town is especially grateful to U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King for supporting the project via congressionally directed spending.
“We are proud to break ground on the new Van Buren Firehouse and Training Center,” Dyer said, “a project that has been years in the making. After securing funding in the fall of 2022, it is exciting to finally see construction underway on this modern facility that will enhance our ability to respond to emergencies, improve training opportunities, and better serve the people of Van Buren and those other communities we serve.”
At the time, the project was estimated to cost $2.8 million. But since then Dyer said construction costs, particularly steel, have significantly increased. In order to close this gap, he said the town will continue seeking out grant opportunities while taking out a pre-construction loan.
Van Buren will also use a bond to cover the difference. The bond would be taken out at the same time the town finishes paying off a bond for another building, and as a result Dyer said taxpayers would not see any noticeable increases.
The new station will replace an aging facility that was built in 1972 as an add-on above the town’s old municipal building and police station. The old department, located on 130 Washington Ave., had structural issues and water began collecting on the floor above the police department. The ceiling actually fell down about 10 years ago, according to Dyer.
The town office has since moved to 320 Main St. and the town’s police department indefinitely closed in 2020.
The new station will be in a larger space at 105 feet by 120 feet, giving the department more room. The department currently has equipment in four different buildings: the main building, a small spot in the nearby village of Keegan, a building on the Alexandra Road, and another building at Van Buren Cove. But the new building will let firefighters fit everything under one roof.
It will include four truck bays, a kitchen and mechanical area, a conference room and an office area. The new facility will also be built to host in-house training for other departments, providing an additional revenue source for the department.
Caron said the new location on State Street where the town’s old bowling alley was formerly located will be more centrally located and help the department respond in either direction of its coverage area.
“It’s truly a historic day here in Van Buren,” Dyer said. “We gather at this site not just to break ground for a new building, but it really does mark a turning point in our community’s future.”
