South Portland Voters Reject $88 Million Police and Fire Station Bond

About 63% of South Portland voters rejected an $88 million bond measure on Tuesday, WGME reported, delivering a decisive defeat to a plan that would have built two new stations for the city’s police and fire departments and instead leaving in place facilities constructed in 1955 and 1967 that have housed emergency responders for generations.

The proposal would have financed two new buildings to replace the current combined station on Anthoine Street, where the fire department has operated since 1955 and the police department since 1967. City officials had argued that the aging structures no longer met the needs of modern emergency services, pointing to a basement that sits below the flood plain and water that enters multiple rooms during rainy weather or high tides, creating conditions that both departments have struggled to manage over the years.

Water in the basement, shared bathrooms upstairs

The conditions at the Anthoine Street site have deteriorated steadily over the decades since both buildings were constructed. Water intrusion from the basement—located below the flood plain—has forced both the police and fire departments to rip up carpet and flooring and repaint rooms after damage occurs from flooding. The water enters multiple rooms during rainy weather and high tides, creating a recurring maintenance burden that affects the daily operations of both agencies and requires constant attention from staff. Upstairs, the situation is equally cramped and outdated: fire station staff must share multiple spaces, including bathrooms, an arrangement that city officials said was no longer adequate for the department’s needs and modern standards for emergency personnel.

Despite these documented infrastructure problems and the operational challenges they create for first responders, the financial cost of the proposed solution proved too steep for most residents. The city estimated that a typical homeowner with a property valued at around $500,000 would have faced a roughly $267 increase in annual taxes to pay for the $88 million bond.

South Portland Voters Reject $88 Million Police and Fire Station Bond

Why nearly two-thirds voted no

When ballots were counted Tuesday, about 63% of South Portland residents voted against the measure—a margin representing nearly two out of every three voters who cast ballots on the question. South Portland voters rejected the $88 million bond question to replace the Anthoine Street facility, where basement flooding, water damage to carpets and flooring, and shared spaces have affected both departments.

On one side stand the 1955 fire station and 1967 police station, which together have served the city for more than a century but now suffer from chronic water damage that ruins carpets and requires constant repainting of multiple rooms. On the other side sits an $88 million bill that would have raised taxes by $267 a year for a typical $500,000 home, a cost that voters ultimately decided was too high to bear.

Two new buildings or continued repairs at Anthoine Street?

City officials had specifically proposed constructing two new stations rather than renovating the existing facility on Anthoine Street, a strategic choice that drove the total project cost to $88 million. The alternative of renovating the current buildings was not included in this bond question, so voters faced a direct and stark choice between funding new construction or maintaining the status quo with the aging structures.

For now, both departments will remain on Anthoine Street, where high tides still push water into the basement and fire station personnel still share bathrooms in the building constructed in 1955.

The 12-year gap between the construction of the fire station in 1955 and the police station in 1967 shows just how long the city has relied on mid-century infrastructure to house its first responders.