BRUNSWICK — Town Manager Gary Brown is beginning contract negotiations with Ouellet Associates of Brunswick for the construction of a proposed police station at the corner of Stanwood and Pleasant Streets.

According to Brown, the town’s Police Station Building Subcommittee voted 8-0, with two members absent, in favor of a ranking that placed Ouellet as the top choice for the project.

The vote took place after interviews Tuesday afternoon.

On Monday night, the Town Council voted to authorize Brown to begin negotiating a contract with the chosen contractor. Terms of the contract will be subject to final approval by the Town Council at a future meeting.

District 4 Town Councilor John Perreault cast the lone vote against authorizing the town manager’s negotiation of a contract with the construction manager that the police station committee was to select the following day.

“If it’s coming back to the council for approval from the council, I don’t see why it has to be voted on tonight,” Perreault said.

Brown said the authorization Monday would allow project architect Brett Donham to begin arranging pre-construction work with the construction manager to develop a full project budget scheduled to come before the council at the end of March.

According to Brown, Ouellet was the only firm to offer pre- construction work for free, which the company’s proposal indicates is done “as a donation to our community.”

Brown wrote in an email that the Police Station Subcommittee’s vote to rank contractors would allow for contract negotiations to begin with the subsequently ranked firms “ if ( the town) is not successful in securing a satisfactory contract with Ouellet.”

dfishell@timesrecord.com