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Bedford council moves $8.2M South River Road fire substation bond to deliberative session
Summary
Councilors held a public hearing on a proposed bond to build a four-bay fire substation on South River Road and voted to put the article on the March warrant; the council recommended the article 6–1.
The Bedford Town Council on Jan. 22 moved to place a bond article on the March ballot that would authorize up to $8,235,000 in bonds to build a South River Road fire substation and related site work.
The council opened a public hearing after Rick Sawyer, the town manager, read the warrant describing a total project authorization of $8,935,000 with “not more than $8,235,000 of bonds or notes” to be issued and $700,000 to come from a capital reserve fund. Sawyer and Councilor Kathleen Bemis outlined the project plan and the council’s facilities review that led to the substation proposal.
The council’s presentations emphasized response-time improvements. Bemis, who chairs the facilities committee, said the majority of recent emergency calls cluster along South River Road and described the plan as a redeployment of existing staff rather than a request for new firefighters or apparatus. She said the committee reduced the scope from a larger March 2024 proposal and brought forward a smaller station intended to cover the “hot zones” on South River Road.
Town staff provided a tax-impact estimate showing the first debt service payment would begin about one year after bond issuance and that an approximate 2026 tax impact would be “17¢ per thousand,” with payments declining through the 10-year schedule presented to voters. The presentation also noted the construction management contractor’s estimate produced the $8.9 million figure stated in the warrant language.
No members of the public addressed the council during the hearing on the South River Road station. After discussion, Councilor Kathleen Bemis moved to place the warrant article on the deliberative session; the motion passed and the council then recorded its recommendation on the article as 6–1 in favor.
The council’s approval sends the bond question to the deliberative session on Feb. 3; final voter approval will require the 3⁄5 ballot majority specified in the warrant language.
