LIVERMORE FALLS — The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday approved a base estimate of up to $715,958.20 for fire station renovations.

Town Manager Kristal Flagg said the project won’t be able to be put out to bid until the U.S. Department of Agriculture releases financing for it.

The project allows for a new, internally drained roof, new insulation and weatherproofing.

Fire Chief Edward Hastings IV said there were some other options, including new fire alarm and ventilation systems, new windows, replacing two exterior doors and exterior painting. A new boiler and unit heaters and new fin tube radiators would also be installed.

In other Fire Department news, the town has a surplus truck pumper truck it obtained from Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Massachusetts. Fire Department volunteers drove it to Livermore Falls and there were no problems Hastings said.

He said it had a pump test at Reliance Equipment in Vassalboro, and the pump had no issues.

In other business, it was announced that unless volunteers step forward to help, there won’t be any flowers on telephone poles in town this summer. For years, flower pots from Chretien’s Greenhouse have adorned the poles and had welcomed visitors into the community.

However, noted selectmen, there has been a change of ownership at Chretien’s and the new owners want to provide flowers but don’t have the time to water them.

“They have the equipment, they just don’t have the manpower,” Selectman Ron Chadwick said.

“You don’t want to spend $1,500 on flowers to have them die and wilt,” Town Manager Kristal Flagg said. She said they’d have to be watered daily for three months. It would take two hours each day, she said.

Selectmen noted that if the flowers were placed lower on the telephone poles for easier maintenance, people might steal them.

In other business, selectmen:

• Voted 5-0 to waive the permit fee for Livermore Falls History Night, which will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. on May 26.

• Voted 5-0 to approve a Pre-Planning Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for an engineering study of the Livermore Falls sewer treatment plant.

• Voted 5-0 to re-bid work on the sewer treatment roof. Only one bid was received by the deadline.

• Approved a bid of $251 from Phoebe Pike for a 15 Baldwin St. property. There was a house on the land that burned.

bmatulaitis@sunmediagroup.net