Augusta voters on Tuesday approved borrowing $6 million to expand and renovate Hartford Fire Station and $1.3 million for street and sidewalk improvements.

Residents voted 3,331-2,819 in favor of a $6 million fire station bond, in unofficial results.

Augusta Fire Chief Roger Audette talks about the Hartford Fire Station during an interview in April outside the 96-year-old station on top of Rines Hill above downtown Augusta. Staff file photo by Joe Phelan

Voters also favored borrowing $1.3 million for street and sidewalk improvements, by a vote of 4,023-2,156.

Neither proposal is expected to require an increase in property taxes because the city designated tax revenue to be collected in multiple Tax Increment Financing districts in the city to pay for improvements.

In the case of the fire station, built in 1920, the money will be used to address problems of narrow garage bays, an aging garage floor that cannot support the weight of today’s firetrucks, and expanded emergency medical services. The station’s problems would be addressed by an expansion of the old brick station toward Gage Street, which officials said could mean that short section of Gage Street might need to be discontinued.

When it comes to street work funded by the proposed bond, city officials have targeted Commercial Street and Cross Hill Road, with $120,000 of it funding sidewalk repairs and $650,000 of the bond paying for paving on multiple streets throughout the city.

Like the $6 million for the fire station expansion, the $1.3 million would be paid back with TIF funds and thus have no direct effect on the property tax rate.

Both bonds were approved in all four of the city’s voting wards. The closest vote for the fire station was in Ward 3, with a vote of 741-732.

Keith Edwards — 621-5647

Kedwards@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @kedwardsKJ

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