SACO — In a little more than one year, when the fire alarm sounds, Saco firefighters will be racing to work from a new fire station on North Street. In Tuesday’s vote, Saco voters overwhelmingly approved a bond to construct a new $6 million building for the fire department. The vote was 2,864 in favor of a new station and 503 against.

Construction for the new station, to be located at 271 North St., will begin in the spring and should be completed in about one year.

“Everyone is very appreciative of the support of the public,” said Fire Chief Alden Murphy this morning. “The public was aware of the deficiencies of the station,” he said, which has “outlived its useful life.”

The central fire station on Thornton Avenue was built in 1938, when fire apparatus was smaller and there was no an ambulance service, said Murphy. There isn’t enough room for the apparatus of today, he said.

The most recent fire engine purchased by the department has a 96-inch wide cab. The current industry standard is 100 inches, said Murphy.

Modifications have been made to both the equipment and the building to make the fit. For instance, side view mirrors on some trucks have been altered to be closer to the sides of the truck and brick work has been removed from the bay entrances.

The size issue has limited the equipment that the department can purchase.

“We can’t put every advantage on trucks,” said Murphy.

In addition to being too small, the building has other problems such as: Water damage to the masonry and brick work; patched asbestos flooring; non-compliance for those with disabilities; inadequate bathroom facilities for a two gender workforce; an antiquated plumbing system that is not code complaint; and an inadequate electrical system.

The city has been aware of the need for a new station for quite awhile. The need can be traced back to the 1970s, said Murphy.

Mayor Roland Michaud said the land on North Street was purchased in 1998 in anticipation of building a new fire station there one day.

Although city officials are cognizant that the public may have been hesitant to approve the new station because of the current troubled economy, both Michaud and Murphy said the timing to build the station is right.

Interest rates and construction costs are low, said Murphy.

Plus building the new station will not increase the property tax rate, said Michaud, because the station will be built using funds generated by the rescue service. The fund has been used to cover the cost of new fire equipment as well as a yearly transfer of $300,000 to the general fund.

Finance Director Beth Cote said the fund was expected to generate about $600,000 this fiscal year. Half-way through the year, the fund had surpassed half that amount.

With the increase of assisted living facilities in Saco and an increasingly older population, the ambulance fund will continue to grow, said Cote.

The money from the ambulance fund that was formerly transferred to the general fund will be made up by retiring a $235,000 school building bond in 2011, and making the last payment on a $116,000 school renovation bond in 2012.

The new fire station will be 21,660-square-feet, which will include a single-story 8,260-square-foot area for the apparatus bay and a 13,400-square-foot area for the administration and firefighter living quarters.

It will have energy efficient features such as solar-powered hot water, natural light and geothermal heat. There will be more room for training and the department will be able to take advantage of an on-site pond to conduct pump testing and ice drills.

Murphy said the department will be transferring equipment to the new building.

The North Street location for the new station is a good one, said Murphy. It will increase response time, he said, because the only time the department will have to fight downtown traffic when responding to an emergency is when they respond to a situation in that area.

Michaud agreed. He said there will be easy access to the spur and north Saco, where the majority of the city’s growth is taking place.

It’s unclear what will happen to the downtown property where the current station is located. Murphy said the public has expressed a lot of interest in what will happen to the property but it’s up to the City Council to decide what to do with it.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.