BETHEL — Selectmen will hold a special town meeting Oct. 15 to decide on financing improvements to the Waste Water Treatment Plant.

Residents will be asked if they wish to continue with design and construction for improvements already approved. The work includes construction of a building to house a dewatering machine, which consolidates sludge for easier disposal, new pumps, decking and a shed.

There are safety concerns at the plant, town officials have said, and the dewatering machine cannot be used in the winter and can only be run on sunny days.

The plant’s capital improvement plan this year called for borrowing about $400,000 and using another $400,000 from USDA Rural Development for the project.

But in July the board received bids significantly above its expectation. They were $1.7 million from Apex Construction of New Hampshire and $1.5 million from T. Buck Construction of Turner.

Selectmen voted in August to apply for additional grants.

Voters will consider whether to appropriate up to $1.2 million, which includes $485,000 in additional grants, and a total of $718,000 in loans.