Orleans Select Board Votes 4-0 to Place $600,000 Fire Station Land Purchase on Warrant

ORLEANS -- April 1, 2026, Orleans Select Board clears May Town Meeting warrant, places $600,000 fire station land acquisition before voters. The board voted 4-0 at its April 1 meeting to place and recommend a warrant article authorizing the purchase of approximately 0.48 acres at 48 Eldredge Parkway, the site of Lower Cape Dental Associates, for up to $600,000 in free cash, adding 85 feet of frontage to the fire rescue station development site. Chair Kevin Galligan announced the acquisition following executive session, noting the dental practice will continue operating without disruption. A separate article authorizing up to $60 million in borrowing for the fire station's construction was placed on the warrant 4-0 but without a printed board recommendation, after members agreed to hear a full architectural presentation on April 15 before committing to a position. A Finance Department analysis shows the fire station debt, combined with Phase 4 wastewater projects, will add an estimated $201.32 per year to the median Orleans homeowner's tax bill in 2032. The board also approved shellfish grant renewals for Frederick Fulcher and added Bethany Gibbons, who has overwintered more than half a million oysters on Cape Cod Bay, as a second licensee to Grant 54 in Little Pleasant Bay. Annual Town Meeting is set for May 11; the Annual Town Election, including debt exclusion questions, is May 19.