SINCLAIR, Maine – A state board approved rezoning about 8 acres Wednesday for a $2.25 million fire station in the unorganized township of Sinclair.
The station is one of three operated by North Lakes Fire & Rescue, which has other St. John Valley fire stations in Madawaska and Cross Lake. Last month the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee approved $2.25 million in federal funding for the new fire station in Sinclair. The bill faces votes and possible amendments from the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.
The Land Use Planning Commission on Wednesday voted in favor of the application to rezone the land. The application, submitted by the Aroostook County government administrators, cites a serious need for a new fire station for the township of about 400 people.
The old fire station is on a 0.27-acre leased lot on Shore Road and county administrators say it is no longer fit to store fire trucks and equipment, and is too small to accommodate modern fire vehicles. The old facility also falls short of modern standards for distance from the lake it borders.
The newer standards are meant to protect waterways important to the economy of Maine from pollution. Long Lake is one of five lakes in the Fish River chain that attracts sports fishermen from around the country.
The old fire station is also 2,000 feet away from the recently rezoned 7.96-acre lot where the new facility will be located.
The Land Use Planning Commission oversees the state’s unorganized and unincorporated land. And before the LUPC was created in 2012, the Land Use Regulation Commission oversaw these parts of the state.
The existing fire station, being nearly 80 years old, was built well before the LURC was founded in 1971. Because of this, it can legally be located less than 50 feet from the Long Lake shoreline.
But if a new station is built, it would fall in line with the standards set by the state more than half a century ago that include a 50-foot setback.
North Lakes Fire & Rescue Chief Darren Woods said last month that the town’s current fire station needs updated electrical wiring and that its truck bay can barely fit a modern vehicle. The station’s close vicinity to the lake also prohibits any further expansion or the use of a backup generator.
LUPC Senior Regional Representative Meagan Westfall presented the rezoning proposal on Wednesday. She said it passed multiple reviews from other state organizations.
No rare, threatened or endangered species were found in the area. There were no unique or rare plants, nor were there any historical resources that would be jeopardized.
The proposal received no written comments nor a request for a public hearing, and there was no further discussion after Westfall’s presentation.
Assistant Editor Paula Brewer contributed to this report.
