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Yahoo
21-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Money for Orleans fire station design approved. But what did town meeting say about it?
ORLEANS — Town meeting voters approved spending $4.5 million to pay for a design of a new fire and rescue station. The vote was 352 to 134. It must also pass at the annual town election on May 20 to move forward. Town meeting was held on Monday, May 12, at the gymnasium of Nauset Regional Middle School to decide 36 articles. The current 1987-built fire station is too cramped, outdated, and is not up to today's safety standards, operational demands, or space requirements for fire and rescue services, according to town officials. Fire Chief Geof Deering named air quality, lack of appropriate male and female spaces, inadequate space for equipment and personnel, and no training space among the problems with the current station. He showed photos to showcase the building's problems, including the station's first aid room that doubles as the public lobby. Maxine Minkoff, a former principal of Nauset Regional Middle School, said she supported a new fire station, but was concerned about the location being too close to Orleans Elementary School. Officials have said the new station will be at 58 Eldredge Park Way where the current station is. "It doesn't take that much for elementary school kids to get distracted. You put fire engines, fire sirens, and all kinds of traffic there and it makes it very hard to continue with very fine education the kids in Orleans are getting right now," said Minkoff during town meeting. The funding, if approved, will pay to hire architects, an owner's project manager, and other related costs. After the design is complete, a proposal for a full construction would be presented to voters at a future town meeting. Select Board Chairman Mark W. Mathison said the exact location of a new station cannot be determined until the town hires an architect and design firm to come up with a plan. "We're asking for the design of a fire station and until we know really how big it is and how it can truly be configured we won't know where it fits on that property. We can't say it's going to be 137 feet from anything because we don't know that yet," said Mathison. In other business at town meeting, residents voted to support spending $40.5 million to fund the third phase of construction for the Lakes and Ponds Sewer Area Project in the area of Crystal Lake, Pilgrim Lake, Lonnie's Pond, Arey's Pond, and Namequoit River. Voters also approved spending $5 million to design and build solar projects at the wastewater treatment facility on Overland Way, the water treatment facility off Route 28, and the Department of Public Works facility on Giddiah Hill Road. Both of these articles will also need to pass during the annual town election on May 20. Zane Razzaq writes about housing and real estate. Reach her at zrazzaq@ Follow her on X @zanerazz. Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Cape Cod Times subscription. Here are our subscription plans. This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Orleans town meeting results: Fire station, sewer, solar, more
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Orleans voters approve six Prop 2 1/2 questions. Here is what the spending is for.
Orleans residents voted to support spending $4.5 million to pay for design work for a new fire-rescue station during Tuesday's annual election. According to preliminary election results, 1,016 voters supported the move, while 521 voters opposed it. The funding will pay to hire architects, an owner's project manager, and other related costs. After the design for the new station on Eldredge Park Way is complete, a proposal for a full construction will be presented to voters at a future town meeting. The question also previously passed during the town's annual town meeting. In all, Orleans approved seven ballot questions, including six Proposition 2½ questions. The question seeking a $40.5 million debt exclusion for third phase of construction for the Lakes and Ponds Sewer Area Project in the area of Crystal Lake, Pilgrim Lake, Lonnie's Pond, Arey's Pond, and Namequoit River passed. Voters also approved a $1.6 million debt exclusion to pay for the construction of the replacement of the easterly bulkhead located at the Goose Hummock town landing on Town Cove. Another question passed for a $5 million debt exclusion to fund the design and construction of municipally owned solar projects at the wastewater treatment facility on Overland Way, the water treatment facility off Route 28, and the Department of Public Works facility on Giddiah Hill Road. Orleans voters also approved $600,000 to fund connection engineering services for property owners in the Meetinghouse Pond Area; and assessing an additional $989,627 in real estate and personal property taxes for the fiscal 2026 operating budget. Last, the nonbinding public opinion advisory asking state and other officials to prevent Holtec Inc. from evaporating into the air radioactive wastewater from the now-closed Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station also passed. The election featured no contested races. Both incumbents, Michael Allen Herman and Mark William Mathison, were reelected to the Select Board for new three-year terms. John P. Smith Jr. was unchallenged in his bid for another term on the Board of Health. John Kanaga will serve as the town moderator. Elizabeth Dawn Paine won her unopposed run for Nauset Regional School Committee and Virginia E. Stribula for the Orleans Elementary School Committee. And Tracy O. Murphy and William Francis Powers, Jr. were unopposed in their bid for the Snow Library Board of Trustees. Zane Razzaq writes about housing and real estate. Reach her at zrazzaq@ Follow her on X @zanerazz. Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Cape Cod Times subscription. Here are our subscription plans. This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: See what Orleans voters passed at the town election
