Hancock’s Fire Department is hoping to ameliorate health and safety issues with upgrades at the station, but this month’s election results put that prospect in question, according to Select Board member Elizabeth Villaume.

In March, the department submitted a grant application for Congressional discretionary spending to provide funds for improvements at the station on Bennington Road. However, Villaume said at Monday’s Select Board meeting the change coming to Washington – with Donald Trump as president and Republican House and Senate majorities – lessens the chances of the funds getting approved, based on signals provided by the new administration..

“I would plan on that $600,000 not materializing,” she said.

Second Assistant Chief Paul Towers explained the intent of the application on Tuesday.

“We hope to address safety and health issues, to get clean and dirty spaces separated,” he said. For example, department members put on their gear for calls in the space by the fire trucks.

The grant is intended to cover 75% of the improvements to the station, but Towers said that the total expense of improvements has increased according to an opinion of probable cost.

“It now looks like the total cost would be $1.1 million,” Towers said, adding that there might be two sources of funds for the balance – a warrant article to the town for $240,000 and private donations to the Hancock Fire Department Association, a nonprofit organization.

Towers said that Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s and Rep. Annie Kuster’s offices have been helpful in the department’s application process.

“I think any grant application can obviously go either way,” said Towers when asked about Villaume’s comment. “It may or may not happen. We can’t count our chickens before they hatch.”