UNITY — Voters at Town Meeting on Saturday will decide on a major construction project and whether to buy a new firetruck.

In all, voters will decide on 41 articles for a proposed $983,206 in spending.

Selectman Jim Kenney said the Town Office was moved in October to a temporary location inside Unity Elementary School after the terms of a long-standing lease agreement were sharply increased by the new owners of Clifford’s Common — the space that had housed the Town Office since 1996.

During a special town meeting in August, voters rejected the new lease offer, rejected a proposal to hire an attorney to negotiate a new lease agreement and rejected a proposal to rent space at a new location.

During an open meeting in February, residents proposed building a new town hall on either the town-owned property at the site of the fire station or purchasing a separate parcel for the building site.

The total costs of the two options would be about $420,000 and $470,000, respectively. In either case, $150,000 would be paid through surplus dollars. The balance would be paid through a 10-year bond at 2.7 percent interest at either $270,000 or $320,000, respectively, according to Kenney.

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Voters will also be asked to approve the purchase of a new fire truck at approximately $290,000. Kenney said the town has already saved about $245,000 toward the purchase through yearly contributions to a fund for the fire department. The balance would be paid through a five-year bond at 2.14 percent, Kenney said.

In 2011, voters approved $872,653 in spending, which was $110,553 less than this year’s proposed amount.

If the articles are approved as written, taxes revenues will be increased by $76,576.

On Friday, voters will elect a selectman for a three-year term. Candidates Clement Blakney and Stephen Wright are vying for that seat.

Ben McCanna — 861-9239

bmccanna@centralmaine.com


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