Preston — At a town meeting Thursday, about 40 residents heard presentations on and discussed a proposed $3.56 million five-year capital improvements plan and a plan to hire a second resident state trooper before sending the items to a Feb. 6 referendum.

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Feb. 6.

Residents have discussed and supported the second resident state trooper multiple times since last spring, but the Board of Finance voted against placing the item in the 2017-18 town budget. In October, residents submitted a petition to reinstate the second resident state trooper.

Because of the time delay, the cost for the resident trooper for the remainder of the 2017-18 fiscal year has dropped to $47,000 if the second trooper is approved and starts in mid-February. The trooper did not have to go to referendum, but the Board of Selectmen decided to place it on the referendum to gauge whether residents would want to restore the second resident trooper in next year’s budget.

Residents offered mixed reactions to the second resident trooper request Thursday. Michael Clancy called it “an unreasonable” price to have resident state troopers. Clancy supported the town’s research into a more full-time resolution, such as the proposals for police coverage the town received from Norwich and Ledyard last year.

Resident Susan Strader, however, called it a minimal cost for this year. Strader said Preston also needs to start planning to upgrade its services in the future as the town grows with the proposed major development at the former Norwich Hospital property.

Resident Peter Leibert said he supported the second trooper, saying he felt a greater sense of security when the town had a second one. He said when there were two, he would see a trooper at night at various spots in town; now, he says he never sees the current single trooper.

The five-year capital plan includes $1.15 million for the fire department, including $550,000 to replace a 1989 pumper firetruck, $360,000 to replace a 1993 tanker firetruck, $40,000 to replace a first-responder service truck and $205,000 for 23 self-contained breathing apparatuses.

School transportation costs would total $1.2 million in the package, including replacing 11 school buses for $981,100, spread out over five years, starting with three new buses in the first year. Two nine-passenger vans would cost $77,600 and a wheelchair-lift-equipped vehicle, $77,000. The package includes $95,000 to repave the bus garage parking lot. Board of Finance Chairwoman Melissa Lennon said the parking lot is deteriorating rapidly, making it difficult to plow.

Proposed school improvement projects total $595,881, including $187,500 to repair the Preston Plains Middle School roof, $110,000 to repair the middle school parking area, $105,110 to upgrade science labs and $28,500 to replace 165 lockers at the middle school. Lennon said the science labs have not been updated since the middle school was built in the 1960s.

At the Preston Veterans’ Memorial School, the plan includes $118,000 to replace the gymnasium floor and $46,771 to resurface the playground. Lennon said the gym floor had reached the end of a 10-year life span. She also said a proper vapor barrier was not installed at the time, causing “bubbling” in spots. Thursday’s town meeting was held in the gym, and Lennon invited residents to examine the floor.

This will be the second time residents will vote on a proposed capital plan. Residents rejected a $3.84 million capital plan by 14 votes. The finance board removed or reduced several items to a new total of $3.47 million, not including bonding costs of $82,419.

Town officials said the new proposed capital plan would be added onto the budget at a time when the town’s overall debt will be dropping. The bond to pay off construction of the Preston Veterans’ Memorial School will be paid off in 2020, along with a 2005 capital bond.

Without the new capital plan, the town’s debt would drop from the current $778,000 to $300,000 in 2021. If the new capital projects are approved, the town’s overall debt would rise to $804,000 in 2019-20 to about $700,000 in 2020-21, slowly dropping over the next 14 years to 2034, not including any new debt the town might incur.

“There will be a very small impact, but it will level out very quickly,” Lennon said of the property tax impact of the capital plan.

c.bessette@theday.com