MONMOUTH — The fire station on Main Street will be a little more energy efficient in the coming months.

Selectmen have agreed to spend about $5,000 to make energy upgrades to Center Station.

Town manager Curtis Lunt said funding for the projects will come out of a reserve account left over from funding for a school audit.

Fire Chief Dan Roy said the town had an energy audit on the building in February.

Roy used recommendations in the audit to create a list of projects that would provide the greatest savings with the least up front expenditure.

The list includes six items, from installing an insulated cover on the air conditioner to replacing a garage bay door with a commercial metal door.

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More than half the money, about $2,700, will be used to install steel roof over the meeting room.

The board asked Roy to add Styrofoam insulation under the new roof to increase energy efficiency.

Roy said a member of his department, an electrician, will help replace the buildings exterior lights with LED lights. Roy budgeted $900 for the replacement.

The improvements also include removing a rear passage door in the garage bay and framing in the opening. Roy said firefighters never use the door and that items are often stored in front.

Framing in the door and adding insulation will reduce heat loss, Roy said.

At a meeting Wednesday, selectmen asked Roy estimate savings the upgrades will generate. Roy said he would provide the numbers at a future meeting.

In other matters, selectmen agreed to set the property tax rate at $13.30 per $1,000 of home valuation.

Lunt said the rate is unchanged from last year despite increases in spending, primarily in the school budget.

Additional property valuation, particularly improvements at Central Maine Power’s substation in South Monmouth, allowed the town to maintain the tax rate, which will require property owners to pay $1,330 for every $100,000 of home value.


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