Workers have broken ground on a new fire department building for the town of Anson, thanks to a $1.5 million federal grant.
Bowman Constructors broke ground on the new fire station, which is located in North Anson, on Sept. 21. The building is going up alongside the current fire station, which is about 70 years old and is structurally unsound.
It is expected to be completed by next June, town officials said.
“It’s been a long time coming, actually,” said Tammy Murray, town administrative assistant. “It’s really good.”
In addition, the town of Jackman is receiving $750,000 in federal money for a new three-bay garage that will house two paramedicine vehicles and a “fly car” used by emergency personnel.
They serve about 700 square miles in the Jackman region, said Bill Jarvis, the chief of the Jackman Moose River Fire and Rescue Department. Details are still being worked out to determine when they will break ground on the project.
The towns are among 27 communities receiving federal funding for public safety buildings, according to a release from US Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.
“Ensuring that Maine’s finest and bravest have modern facilities and equipment is essential to the delivery of efficient emergency services,” said Collins said in a release late last year. “This funding will replace aging public safety buildings and municipal complexes that are at risk of structural failure and not well suited to house modern equipment.”
