Voters in Caribou will determine whether the city’s fire department can spend up to $2.9 million to replace its aging ladder truck.
The Caribou City Council Monday advanced a referendum question for funding the purchase of the truck to the November midterm election.
The city’s charter requires all capital improvement projects of more than $500,000 to come before the public for approval.
The department’s current truck was purchased in 2002, and while still operational, has outlived the typical 20-year lifespan of the vehicles and could impact the department’s ability to respond effectively in emergencies.
It may take upwards of four years after the truck is ordered for the department to receive it, Fire Chief Brian Lajoie has said.
“An aerial ladder truck is one of the department’s most critical emergency response vehicles,” LaJoie said in a statement given to the council Monday. “The city of Caribou protects a diverse community that includes multistory apartment buildings, schools, health care facilities, commercial occupancies, industrial properties, municipal buildings and other structures where aerial capabilities are essential for effective emergency operations.”
The $2.9 million total is a ceiling for the purchase of the truck, and not necessarily how much the city would spend.
“The actual purchase price will depend on final specifications, competitive bidding, available grants and financing options,” LaJoie said.
The wording of the approved referendum question is as follows:
“Shall the City of Caribou be authorized to expend up to $2,900,000 for the purchase of a
replacement aerial ladder truck, together with all necessary equipment and accessories for the
Caribou Fire & Ambulance Department to be funded from any combination of municipal funds, reserves, grants, the issuance of bonds, lease-purchase, or bank financing as determined by the City Council.”
The attempt to purchase a replacement ladder truck is one of several infrastructure upgrades the Caribou Fire Department is working toward in 2026.
The station will undergo a $2.5 million renovation this year to solve decades-old safety issues and improve quality of life for firefighters. That project has been funded through congressionally-directed spending, municipal and county ARPA funds and roughly $830,000 in capital improvement funding approved in 2022.
The council Monday also approved a bid for the demolition of a former starch plant near the Caribou’s riverfront. The contract, given to local contractor Soderburg Construction and totaling $68,350, was less than half that the second-lowest bidder. The project will be funded through a Northern Border Regional Commission Grant.
The approval is another step by the city toward the redevelopment of its riverfront, a former industrial hub that has largely sat idle and festered hazardous conditions for more than decade.
Demolition crews tore down a large former diesel plant this spring. And its neighboring steam plant is expected to come down before the end of the year.
“With the plants right now, it’s easy to look at that and say, ‘I don’t know if I want to go down there,’” Caribou Economic and Community Development Specialist Eric Sanderson said in March. “But it really is a beautiful spot, and we want to highlight that.”
The council also rejected controversial updates to its animal control ordinance that sought to clarify the city’s animal control standards and improve animal welfare.
The changes to the ordinance largely pertained to dog ownership, and among other additions, proposed limiting households in Caribou’s urban compact zone to a maximum of five dogs and issuing warnings to those whose dogs bark continuously for more than 15 minutes during the daytime and more than 30 seconds, outdoors, at night.
More than a dozen residents spoke at or wrote in to the meeting Monday, largely criticizing the proposal as overreach.
“I’ve had more feedback on this than any other issue, ever,” Councilor Tamara Lovewell said.
Some decried the ownership limit as arbitrary and questioned why the same standards were not applied to other animals.
“Simply owning five dogs does not prove that someone is irresponsible or might become a nuisance,” Caribou resident Laura Bishop said.
One resident, who identified himself as Ken Powers, thanked the council for taking up the issue and described barking dogs in his neighborhood as an increasing nuisance on his life.
“I can’t even sit on my back deck for 10 minutes at a time without having to listen to someone’s dogs bark,” Powers said.
Taking the feedback and levying criticism of their own, the council sent the ordinance back to the city’s planning board to be overhauled.
“I think we should pull this back and rework it,” Councilor Paul Watson said, noting that the board should consider provisions for livestock. “If we’re going to do this, let’s do it right.”