MERRIMACK – Town councilors will get their first peek at a proposal for a new fire station on the south side of town this week, and they could decide whether town voters get a look, as well.
The council, set to meet Thursday night, will decide whether to place the $2.5 million proposal before voters at Town Meeting.
Voters took the first step toward the new station in 2009, agreeing to transfer a 3-acre plot on Continental Boulevard, owned by the School District, to the town for the station.
Voters deciding on the fire station proposal would not be responsible for the entire cost of the $2.5 million project. As part of their building agreement, developers of the Merrimack Premium Outlets mall, under construction off Exit 10 of F.E. Everett Turnpike, have directed $650,000 toward the fire station, leaving taxpayers to cover about $1.9 million.
That figure would add about 5.8 cents per $1,000 of assessed value to local residents’ tax bills, translating to a $17.81 increase for a house worth $307,000, the town’s average assessed value.
If the matter passes the Town Meeting vote, construction crews would break ground immediately, according to committee members.
“One of our primary focuses going into this was to keep it as reasonably priced as we could,” said Anthony Richardson, who serves on the committee. “We believe we’re right in that ballpark.”
No comments:
Post a Comment