A $61.5 million budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 and $425,000 to design a new fire station for the south end were approved at this week’s annual town meeting.
The 166 residents who turned out for the three-hour session at the high school Monday had to adhere to several safety precautions, including social distancing and mask wearing, because of the pandemic.
The fire station is planned for the former site of the school administration offices on School Street off Route 6.
There was little public discussion about the design money, though some residents questioned the need for the station.
Local officials explained a key reason for it is to improve response times to a growing number of emergency calls in the busy south end. It takes about seven to nine minutes to get to that area from the main fire station headquarters in the center of town.