South end fire station receives voter approval

South end fire station receives voter approval!

By EverythingWestport.com

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

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Westport Town Hall – The tension was thick in the Town Clerk’s office. They had been here before, only to be turned away. The Chief and Marlene Samson were in idle conversation and the dozen or so fire fighters and their supporters nervously smiled and awaited the voting results. Deputy Chief Manley sat quietly in a corner.

Then, at 8:31 p.m. the first results were received from the High School polling station. Ms. Samson opened the envelope and pulled out its contents. “334 yes, 161 no,” she said. The press scribbled their notes. Supporters held their breath. It would be a few more minutes before the other polling stations’ results arrived.

Results from the next three polling stations quickly came in. Ms. Samson tersely read their results: 334 yes, 221 no; 193 yes, 146 no; 211 yes, 133 no. For most of us it was a done deal! There were smiles all way round. But the Chief had to hear the last precinct’s totals to believe that the ballot question had actually passed. He would, however, have to wait.

For some reason the Legion Hall’s results were very slow reaching the Clerk’s office. Then, after what seemed an indeterminable wait (25 minutes), the results came in. “171 yes, 137 no.” It was a sweep. 1243 yes, 798 no. The final vote was announced at 9:12 p.m. The votes cast were more than 2 to1 in favor of a new South End Fire Station. The Chief allowed himself one full minute before he smiled. “I’m surprised by the margin,” he said. “I’m really pleased the community supported the fire department.” Read the Chief Brian Legendre’s thank you letter.

Left to right: (1) Fire department personnel put on a good face waiting for ballot question results. (2) Town Clerk Marlene Samson reads the first results to arrive at Town Hall. (3) Fire fighters grab their phones and call their spouses with the good news. (4) The Chief and Town Administrator Mike Coughlin conferring while awaiting the Legion Hall’s vote tally.

Former Selectwoman Veronica “Roni” Beaulieu, her son a Westport Fire Fighter, said, “I’m elated! The fire station is long over due.”

Another former Selectwoman, Liz Collins, initiated a phone bank with several off-duty and call firefighters to work two-hour shifts manning four to five phones the night before and the day of the vote to contact Westport voters and solicit their support. “We reached 1200 voters,” Ms. Collins said. “I’ve got to thank the voters for coming out! And a big thank you to the phone bank volunteers. It was a long, hard battle.” Ms. Collins co-chairs the fire station building committee with Fire Chief Brian Legendre.

Westport Town Hall Annex – There were already signs that voter turnout would be good as 266 votes cast by 3 p.m. Geri Fortier, Precinct Clerk, reported many voters’ comments ranging the entire spectrum. ”One voter wondered why we couldn’t just expand on the existing lot. Others felt the North End needed the new station. But many were supporting it,” she said. By 5 p.m. 387 votes were cast. Eventually the count would reach 555 votes.

In an exit poll, one voter felt that the new station was for the future of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She supported it. Another said, “I’m told we need a new fire station, so I guess we need to ante up!” Still another said’ “I’m all for it. I was a firefighter for Dartmouth for 15 years.” Our seniors were naturally concerned by higher taxes as they exist on fixed incomes.

Left to right: (1) Geri Fortier (left) Town Hall Annex Precinct Clerk, with Elmira Beals, pollster. (2) Dorothy Hopkinson voting with spouse Calvin. Dorothy’s father donated the land for the now closed Head Fire Station. Calvin is the President of the Head of Westport Fire Association. (3) Agnes Potter (left), Precinct Warden, with pollsters Merle Toupin (center) and Dorothy Tripp.

Funding the Fire Station

“We plan for the new station to be funded through a 20-year borrowing. The cost to the average taxpayer who owns a $430,000 home would be $92 annually,” said Chief Legendre at a recent informational meeting. “This cost declines over time as the bond is repaid,” he said. Chief Legendre said they’re pushing for a 40-year low interest rate loan from the US Department of Agricultural Rural Development, which would further reduce the annual cost. Other grants are now possible for the fire department with the approval of the debt exclusion vote last night. Click here to get enlarged view of the Proposed Fire Station budget.

Complete Statement of Votes Cast

Debt Exclusion Ballot Vote REG T/O % Yes No
Precinct 1 – Legion Hall	2046 308 15.05	171	137
Precinct 2 – Town Hall Annex	2344 555 23.68	334	221
Precinct 3 – Macomber School	1813 339 18.70	193	146
Precinct 4 – Fire Station North	2326 344 14.79	211	133
Precinct 5 – High School	1901 495 26.04	334	161

Total	10430 2041 19.57	1243	798

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