LIVERMORE FALLS — With the Oct. 1 deadline looming to move firetrucks out of the station, selectmen Tuesday faced where to put them.

They voted in a series of motions to have the ladder truck at Peter Castonguay’s garage at Route 133 and Karn Road, Engine 1 in a bay of the highway garage, and Engine 2 and Engine 3 at Jay’s Chisholm fire station.

To accommodate Engine 1, highway equipment in a bay of the town garage will be moved across the street next to the fire station. Road Foreman Bill Nichols said he was concerned about the number of firefighters having the access code to get into the highway garage, and security issues that could arise.

The decisions came after a lengthy discussion about what to do about the trucks. Code violations at the fire station have caused the town’s insurance company to deem it unsafe to house fire equipment.

One resident asked if the town could change insurance companies.

Town Manager Kristal Flagg said that if the town does go to another provider, it would adversely affect its workers’ compensation rates.

“It’s really not feasible for the town as a whole to change their insurance company to satisfy the needs of one department,” she said.

The town will rent the space at Castonguay’s garage.

Flagg said Castonguay “is willing to do anything we need to help the town.”

“The bigger discussion is we’re going to add 11 minutes on average, best case scenario, to our response time,” Fire Chief Tim “TD” Hardy said. “That’s just driving in … There is going to be effects on public safety with those two trucks down there (at Jay).”

He added, “We’re more than happy that Jay’s offering that.”

At a special town meeting in August, residents turned down a proposal to build a fire station. Since then, Hardy said, Bunker & Savage Architects of Augusta have agreed to do a design for a new building and Main-Land Development Consultants in Livermore Falls is doing a site survey.

“We have nothing really definite as to where we go from here,” he said.

It will cost about $10,500 for the work by Bunker & Savage, and $1,000 for the survey by Main-Land, Flagg said.

Young recommended meeting with Bailey Brothers about the site, because they have land next to it.

bmatulaitis@sunmediagroup.net

“The bigger discussion is we’re going to add 11 minutes on average, best case scenario, to our response time.” — Livermore Falls Fire Chief Tim “TD” Hardy