At a special town meeting Aug. 19, Bremen voters denied a request from the board of selectmen to replace the boiler in the town office.
Only six of the 27 voters in attendance supported the article, which would have authorized the selectmen to spend up to $35,000 from the town capital reserve fund on the new heating system.
The current boiler, which is more than 50 years old, will likely cost several thousand dollars to repair, selectmen said.
Heating system consultant Bob Hardina, whom the selectmen hired to estimate the cost of the new boiler, told them they would recoup the cost of the new boiler in efficiency savings within a few years, said Wendy Pieh, chairman of the Bremen Board of Selectmen.
However, prior to voting down the boiler, residents expressed concerns about the fact that the selectmen had not conducted a general efficiency audit of the building, which they felt might lead to changes that would save money on the new boiler.
Residents were also concerned about minimizing spending during a year in which the mil rate increased by 1.2. Residents were upset that the selectmen did not pursue grant money to defray the cost of the boiler.
“If the selectmen knew they were unwilling, or unable or didn’t have the time to apply for grants, why didn’t they ask for help?” asked John Briggs at the meeting.
“It’s totally inexcusable,” selectman Wendy Pieh said. “We should have applied for those funds, and we didn’t.”
