Town Hall addition eyed for fire, ambulance and police
MOUNT DESERT Rather than construct a new building in Northeast Harbor for the fire department and ambulance service, as Fire Chief Mike Bender proposed two months ago, town officials are now considering the idea of adding onto the Town Hall building to provide more space for those services, as well as for the police department.
The Board of Selectmen voted Monday to authorize paying Hedefine Engineering & Design up to $10,000 to prepare a concept floor plan and construction cost estimate for a two-story addition.
Bender told the selectmen more than a year ago that, due to the increasing shortage of volunteer firefighters, the town would need to hire more full-time personnel to provide around-the-clock coverage. That, in turn, would mean the fire department would need to provide sleeping quarters, he said.