Planning board urges council to consider Lisbon Street fire station funding after new federal earmark info

The Lewiston Planning Board informally urged city council to consider prioritizing the Lisbon Street fire station in the FY27 capital improvement plan after staff said the city holds a $1 million congressional earmark for the project.

Chief Mark Karen of the Lewiston Fire Department told the board the award came from a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funding round (award date 03/02/2023) and that the grant requires the grantee to submit final reimbursement requests no later than Sept. 15, 2031. The city uses a reimbursement model — the municipality spends and then requests reimbursement — and portions of the award have already been used for land acquisition, wetlands surveys and early engineering work.

Chief Karen described the award as partially spent and said about $735,706 of the earmark remained available for use on the Lisbon Street project. He warned that without local commitment and continued project momentum the city could risk returning federal funds if the project is not completed within the grant timeframe.

Former councilor and resident Lee Clement urged the board to reverse its earlier recommendation and support funding now, saying the project was pitched to Congress as an emergency need and that the city risks losing the earmark if it delays. “If that project is not completed, you will owe the federal government the full million dollars,” he told the board.

Board members discussed process improvements to ensure timely sharing of capital/ grant details with the board during the LCIP review and conducted a straw poll — not a formal motion — asking staff to forward an updated recommendation to city council that the Lisbon Street station be strongly considered for FY27 funding, given the federal funding timeline.