WINCHENDON — With a revised proposal, officials hope that a Proposition 2½ debt-exclusion override will be approved at Thursday’s special Town Election.

The ballot question asks voters to exempt the town from the provisions of Proposition 2½, which limits communities to raising property taxes by only 2.5 percent each year. The town is seeking $618,750, for engineering and design costs for an extension to the fire station, according to Town Manager Justin Sultzbach.

If approved, this would result in a tax increase of about $34 a year for residents over the life of the bond. This request has already received support from 88% of the voters who attended the recent Town Meeting, leading to the special Town Election ballot question.

In 2019, the town attempted a similar override question for $850,000 to pay the design costs of a planned $12 million addition to the station, though it was defeated by a margin of 2-1 at the fall Town Meeting. Sultzbach said that when he was hired in 2021, he wanted to take a look at the proposal and see what could be done to refine it. This was a challenge, not only due to normal price increases over a four-year period, but those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The result is a proposal for a detached single-story extension on the same lot as the fire station, with a price tag of approximately $8.5 million. The ballot question isn’t for the full amount, just the design costs.

“We feel it was something more reflective of our community and something we feel more comfortable going to the people of Winchendon to ask for,” he said.

Sultzbach said the extension will provide space for all the department’s vehicles. There is a pumper truck that is stored outside and cannot be filled with water in the winter, since it would freeze and possibly damage the vehicle. There will also be formal bunk rooms for the firefighters and paramedics, along with separate spaces for men and female personnel. The department has one female firefighter, as well as female per diem firefighters. The new building can be built to match the design of the existing station. Sultzbach said that upgrades to the original fire station are being looked at in the near future.

“When it was built in the 1970s, it wasn’t as common to see female firefighters and paramedics,” said the town manager. “A lot of existing municipal structures don’t meet all the needs of our personnel.”

Max Bowen can be reached at 413-772-0261, ext. 265 or at mbowen@recorder.com.

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