LIVERMORE — Voters at the town meeting Wednesday, June 15, will decide whether or not to build a shed to cover the town’s sand and salt pile.

The meeting is at 7 p.m. at Livermore Elementary School.

Voters will be asked to borrow up to $400,000 for the project, with the Maine Department of Transportation reimbursing 37.2 percent of the cost.

At a public hearing Wednesday, Selectperson Tom Gould said, “There’s a lot of questions. This is a huge expenditure we have here.”

Maine requires towns to have a building covering their sand and salt piles, he said. The law was created in 1986, and amended in 1999 with the intent of protecting water supplies from potential contamination.

Gould said the town has to have a building plan in place by Aug. 1, and the building must be completed by Aug. 1, 2017. Otherwise, the town will be subject to Maine Department of Environmental Protection penalties, he said.

Fabric, truss and laminated arch buildings were considered.

Gould said Legacy fabric buildings, made by a Colorado firm, would be less expensive but have limited life expectancy. Rubb brand fabric buildings are more expensive, but last longer.

Truss buildings, he said, are less expensive than other types but require a lot more labor. Laminated arch structures are more expensive but require less labor.

“We could only afford to engineer one building with what we had, so we decided to go with a laminated arch building,” Gould said. “We’ve agreed that this is the building we’d suggest. We decided over time the best expenditure that’s going to save us money in the long run is a good 40-year building that has a history that can be tested.”

Peter Coughlan, project engineer with the Maine Department of Transportation, said Livermore selected the type of building for its sand/salt shed that most Maine towns had chosen. Although it’s a lot to spend, he said, “we are getting quite a building for that amount of money.”

Gould said voters have three choices: approve the building, meet the Aug. 1 deadline and receive state money to help fund construction; get rid of its sand and salt pile and give up the ability to sand roads; or turn down the town meeting warrant article and be subject to DEP action.

The proposed building is 60- by 127-feet. Bids received were from Bowman Constructors of Newport for $647,737; David P. Trask & Sons of Hudson for $389,000; Lupo Construction Inc. of Etna for $417,852; Blane Casey of Augusta for $531,747.52; and Crapott’s Corp. of Livermore Falls for $579,700.

“The bids were all over the place. We’re not sure exactly why there was such a span,” Gould said.

Residents asked how the proposed building would affect the town’s tax rate. Selectperson Megan Dion said the town could reduce the capital road improvement budget, if needed, to save some money.

Gould said most of the money the town spends is for its Androscoggin County assessment and its Regional School Unit 73 assessment, and both of those are projected to increase this year.

Resident Johnny Castonguay noted that groundwork on the site should be inexpensive.

“I would like to see local people do the earthwork and local people do a stick-built building,” he said.

By doing this, Castonguay said, the town could save money and not have to rely on state funds.

“There’s no rush to this,” said resident Dwight Hines, pointing out there had been no damage to foliage around the sand/salt pile. “I agree with Mr. Castonguay: Don’t take the state money just because it’s there.”

He suggested the town get a waiver from the state to allow more time to make a decision.

“As I understand this, there has not been a single successful waiver granted in the state anywhere,” Gould said.

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“There’s a lot of questions. This is a huge expenditure we have here.” — Livermore selectperson Tom Gould