DRESDEN — Residents voted overwhelmingly Saturday to support construction of a new fire station.

The vote came during the annual Town Meeting.

John Ottum, first selectman and chairman of the board, said voters instructed the selectmen to borrow up to $1 million and build it. The result drew a large round of applause, he said, and came after an hour-long discussion.

The new, 8,000-square-foot public safety building is to be erected at Routes 128 and 197, adjacent to the existing fire station, which was built in 1876. The older building will be converted for community use and meeting space, Ottum said.

Ottum said the new building will cost the town an estimated $22,000 a year for the next 30 years. A committee has been working on a new home for the fire station since 2004.

About 24 people are active volunteer firefighters. Ottum said the new building might be financed with a federal loan and some grants may be available to restore the old station.

Residents agreed to raise building permit fees to 17 cents per square foot for new construction. The proposed municipal budget of $692,000 passed easily. It carries a $22,000 increase over the current year.

The tax rate this year will remain at $3.30 per $1,000 thousand worth of property valuation. Ottum said a $4 million increase in property valuation is expected to cover the modest increase in the municipal budget and a $60,000 increase in the school budget. Residents also agreed to send $300 to a Bath-based group that assists in getting low-income people heating oil, Ottum said.

In other business, Ottum said Joan Drappeau accepted a School Board post. She was a write-in candidate. Heather Beasley, who received 17 write-in votes also for the School Board, has yet to indicate whether she will accept the second open seat.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com