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Castine board schedules March 28 special meeting to clarify fire-building reserve after public questions about conceptual station drawings
Summary
Selectboard set a Special Town Meeting for March 28 to confirm a Fire Building Reserve Account after residents raised questions about informal conceptual drawings of a new fire station and past votes; the fire chief says the drawings were an internal, uncommissioned exercise.
Acting Chair Amy Gutow said the Selectboard will hold a Special Town Meeting on Saturday, March 28 at 8:30 a.m. to verify the establishment and intended use of a Fire Building Reserve Account and to provide clarity to voters.
The decision followed public questions about informal conceptual drawings for a new fire station and whether the Battle Avenue lot remains the intended site. "Why the Town has to schedule a Special Town Mtg for a new Fire Station? We've been working and dealing with this for six (6) long years now. This is not new news, and it has already been voted on," said Fire Chief Randy Stearns during the public-comment portion.
Gutow replied that the purpose of the Special Town Meeting is "to clarify funds in the reserve account and what they are designated for. This is what the Town's attorney is advising." Town Manager Derik Goodine added that the August 2021 Special Town Meeting gave the Selectboard permission "to purchase the property, do all the testing, etc., knowing if all the criteria were met the intention was that site to be the location of the new Fire Station."
The board read into the record a letter from Chief Stearns clarifying how the drawings were produced. In the letter Stearns wrote that the sketches were "not commissioned by the Town, were not developed in collaboration with the Selectboard or Town administration, and were not intended to represent a proposed or approved design." He characterized them as a "design charrette" and said the Town recently hired an Owner's Project Manager who will lead the formal RFP process for licensed architects and engineers.
Residents asked for clearer information ahead of the March 28 meeting. Public commenter Ann Coyle sought confirmation that Battle Avenue remains the intended site, and Josh Adam said he did not find a fire station reference in the 2021 warrant article. The Selectboard agreed to try to make childcare available for the Special Town Meeting so parents can attend.
Next steps: the Selectboard will post the Special Town Meeting warrant at least seven days before the March 28 session, and the Manager and the Owner's Project Manager will continue engineering testing and public engagement before any formal design or construction steps proceed.
