BUCKFIELD — Contractors for the town’s proposed $1 million Fire-Rescue Station told officials Monday that the price-tag for the project is nearly $200,000 over budget.

In an interview Tuesday, Town Manager Cindy Dunn said the cause for the increase was unclear, and the town has requested an itemized list of expenses to look for areas to save money in the project.

“It’s a little frustrating considering we thought we were there,” Dunn said.

Already, the committee has begun to look for areas where top-notch materials could be exchanged for something more cost effective in an effort to save on the final tally.

Buckfield is in the process of constructing a new station to house its fire and rescue departments. Originally slated to open in the fall, the prolonged winter has pushed back the project’s timetable.

Last fall, Port City Architect Andrew Hyland, who selectmen hired over the summer to assess the condition of the current station and devise schematics for the new, announced it would cost $1.2 million to build the station.

In December, Buckfield announced it was seeking bids for a 8,000-square foot building with two, 14-foot bay doors, and revised the price-tag to $1 million.

Then, in January, selectmen hired Auburn construction management firm H.E. Callahan and set the pricetag for building materials at $800,000, with 4.5 percent of that figure – $36,000 – paid to the firm for their services.

Combined with a $75,000 General Condition Budget, the tentative overall price to hire the company amounted to $110,000.

The overall project was estimated to cost in the region of $976,643.

Since the decision, members of the Fire-Rescue Station Building committee have been meeting with Hyland and Callahan representatives to settle on a final budget – known as a guaranteed maximum price – for the project.

Several weeks ago, engineers shrunk the floor-plan to save money, adding a 700foot mezzanine to compensate for the reduction in square footage.

On Monday they revised estimates, telling committee members the building as currently designed would cost $1.137 million.

The presentation included a number of areas which could be removed to save money – from air conditioners to exhaust air vents – and Dunn requested the company submit a comprehensive list of costs.

A meeting to review the list was held Wednesday night, past press time.

The project is being financed with a $1 million loan from the Norway Savings Bank. Norway Saving’s interest rates begin at 3 percent for the first five years, and then 4 percent for the remaining 15 years on the 20-year loan.

Keeping the budget below $1 million is a top priority, as committee members are keen not to ask voters for additional funding. Also on Tuesday, selectmen approved allocating $1,125 to H.E. Callahan to coordinate the demolition of the current fire-rescue station.

The funds include preparing design specifications, soliciting bids for the process, and hiring an overseer at no additional cost to the town.

In an email to Dunn on April 4, Executive Vice President John Blanchard estimated demolition would cost between $15,000 and $20,000.

No date has been set for demolition.