Select Board orders gas line capped, narrows use of Bow Town community building as compliance plan proceeds

Bow Town Select Board members at a June 10 working session approved steps to limit and manage public use of the town’s community building while the town pursues longer-term renovation or replacement.

The board voted to have the building’s gas service capped by Aug. 1 to remove the commercial stove from service and avoid large kitchen upgrades. The vote passed unanimously, the chair said, with a 5–0 tally.

Town staff and the fire chief reviewed a 2018 compliance plan from the fire marshal that lists phased life‑safety upgrades the town can use to keep the facility usable while a permanent solution is pursued. Staff said some items in that checklist are now moot because the fire department no longer occupies the space; others remain because of current uses.

Why it matters: the building houses public assembly space, recreational offices and a kitchen that is used infrequently. Meeting participants described the kitchen as the principal driver of near‑term cost and compliance requirements; keeping it available for cooking would require significant capital investments, while removing or decommissioning the stove reduces immediate code obligations.

Key details and staff…