The Municipal Complex Building Committee began meeting in January, 2023 to work towards a plan to address the need for new municipal facilities to house the Town Office, Police Department and Fire Department.

There were many steps in the process that took place over a year and half that culminated in a vote in June, 2024, at which time the voters rejected a proposal to bond $16.5 million to construct a new Municipal Complex. The Select Board and Building Committee each met and discussed what should happen next.  A decision was made to hold a public workshop to try to get specific feedback on why voters rejected the bond.  At the meeting, we heard some thoughts that we need to share more spaces and cut the building size down.  There were questions about the need of some of the specific features of the conceptual building design.  There were many comments about the impact to the tax payers. There was talk about investigating other properties in town to retro-fit.  It was suggested that we only proceed with the construction of a public safety building and don’t include the Town Office in the plans.  As expected, and hoped for, this meeting gave the Select Board and Building Committee a lot to think about.

The Select Board and Building Committee each reconvened and ultimately a decision was made to proceed with the original plan to construct a Municipal Complex on Bridgton Road.  There were a multitude of reasons for this decision.  With that being said, our next steps were to reduce the overall building size, while still ensuring that the complex meets the needs of each department, both space wise and compliance-wise, to reduce the overall cost. The estimated cost of construction of the redesigned building was $12.5 million. In November 2024, the voters were approved an $8.5 million bond (the building cost, less the target amount of grants).

The Town has spent the past year working to secure funding to bridge the gap between the approved bond amount and the total project cost and continues to do so. However, the need for the new facilities grows each day and a new course of action is being investigated with the goal of saving tax payer money and expediting the process of providing necessary working spaces for the Town Departments. The Town is looking at the potential of using 253 Bridgton Road (former Fryeburg Family Medicine) for the Municipal Complex site.

We are excited to be moving forward with this vital project in a manner that works to balance compromise and understanding of the residents concerns with the needs of our essential town services.

For more information, please reach out to townmanager@fryeburgmaine.org and check our website and social media for upcoming public meetings.

For information about past building designs, tax impact information, meeting minutes and calendar of events Click here.