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Wells hears proposal to renovate Substation 2 and absorb EMS as town department; board hears $5.5M bonding estimate
Summary
Select Board reviewed plans to renovate Station 2 to house Wells Emergency Medical Services and some fire personnel, citing a potential $5.5 million project and bonding options; staff warned a hospital lease could end with 90 days' notice creating urgency.
At a public hearing Aug. 1 the Select Board reviewed a master plan to renovate Substation 2 on North Berwick Road so it could permanently house Wells Emergency Medical Services (WEMS) and part‑time fire personnel, and discussed financing the project by a long‑term bond if voters approve a question this November.
Speaker 14, who led the presentation, said town staff commissioned an architectural assessment and reduced the original $8 million footprint to a plan that now “came back in at $4,500,000 with about a $1,000,000 [in] soft cost,” adding: “So the bottom line is we're looking at about a $5,500,000 project.” He said the goal is faster EMS response times to Wells’ growing west side and to provide a fallback option if WEMS loses space at York Hospital.
Finance staff member Jody (speaker 11) reviewed the town’s current bonded indebtedness and modeled the new bond. She reported the town’s current bonded indebtedness as “a little over 13,000,000. It's actually $13,070,000,” and presented 30‑year bond scenarios estimating total interest of roughly $3.4M–$3.6M depending on rates, producing total long‑term payments in the $8.9M–$9.1M range.
Presenters emphasized timing: the town was told the existing WEMS hosting lease could be terminated on 90 days’ notice, and the board indicated that if a November bond question passes the town would look to go to market in January or February and potentially break ground in June, with a 12–18 month construction window. Officials said they will seek to negotiate interim lease time if MaineHealth or York Hospital pursues a facility change to avoid service disruption.
Questions from the public and board members addressed expected tax impacts, which staff said depend on valuation and noted that Wells’ total property valuation is near $7 billion, making exact tax‑impacts a function of assessor calculations. No final decision to place a bond on the ballot was recorded at the Aug. 1 hearing; presenters asked the board to continue the review and direct staff to refine debt‑service figures for public review.
The board thanked staff and consultants and invited more detailed fiscal figures before deciding whether to place a bonding question before voters.
