Winthrop Firehouse Committee Pushes Community Outreach Ahead of April 5 Vote

WINTHROP -- March 10, 2025, Winthrop's Firehouse Building Committee reported strong public engagement at recent open houses and coffee hours ahead of the April 5 town vote on a $38.5 million debt exclusion for two new fire stations. At the March 10 meeting in the Harvey Hearing Room, committee members described well-attended tours of both existing firehouses and a morning coffee hour at Golden Drive senior housing in Precinct 4. The committee outlined two more scheduled coffee hours, Thursday at 6 p.m. at Seal Harbor 3 and March 25 at 1 p.m. at the senior center. Members reviewed the project's core numbers: a 25-year payoff structure saving approximately $8.4 million over a 30-year term, with an annual cost of roughly $495 to the owner of a home at the town's average assessed value of $697,305, a burden that would not appear on quarterly bills until January 2028. The committee also addressed a common taxpayer misconception, clarifying that expiring debt exclusions for Miller Field and the middle school and high school reduce the rate of tax increases rather than producing year-over-year decreases on actual bills.