Preston — Residents will get the chance Thursday to discuss a $3.84 million five-year capital spending plan for town and school vehicles and projects before the question is forwarded to voters for an Oct. 10 referendum.

The town meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Preston Veterans’ Memorial School, but will be adjourned to a referendum Oct. 10. Voters will decide at the town meeting whether to open polls from noon to 8 p.m. or start the referendum at an earlier time.

While the spending proposals total $3.757 million, an additional $82,201 will be added to the bond to cover financing and legal costs, bringing the total to be presented to voters at the referendum to $3.84 million.

The capital plan includes $1.9 million for the schools, including the purchase of 11 school buses, two 9-passenger school vans and a wheelchair lift vehicle. The school vehicle purchases would be spread out over the five years to ensure the school system would have buses of varying ages and maintenance needs.

Three school buses at an estimated $84,500 each would be purchased in the current fiscal year. Three more at $87,900 each would be purchased in 2018-19, three in 2019-20 and two in fiscal year 2020-21. The wheelchair lift vehicle, costing an estimated $77,000 would be purchased this year, and one van would be purchased next year and one in the fifth year of the capital plan.

The capital plan also calls for repaving the school bus garage lot and the parking area at Preston Plains Middle School, replacing 175 student lockers at the middle school, upgrading science labs and repairing the middle school roof. The gym floor would be replaced at Preston Veterans’ Memorial School and the playground would be resurfaced.

On the town government side, the bond includes funding for the fire department and public works. A new pumper firetruck, estimated at $600,000, would be purchased in 2018-19 and a tanker truck, costing an estimated $400,000 in 2020-21. This year $40,000 will be spent to replace a fire service truck and an additional $40,000 will be used to purchase self-contained breathing apparatus.

For the Public Works Department a new backhoe, expected to cost $105,000 and a plow truck costing $65,000, would be purchased this year. A larger plow truck, costing $160,000, would be purchased next year, along with a roadside tractor at $50,000, a roadside mower for $65,000 and a trash compactor. A loader, estimated to cost $156,000, would be purchased in 2019-20.

c.bessette@theday.com