We were asked a question last night regarding Fire Station Design Committee meetings, and we thought it would be appropriate to post the Chiefs response for all to see. It is a somewhat brief answer compared to the depth of the issue, but it should give a pretty good summary. Fire department facilities have been on our capital plan for many years. When the north end station was closed in 2011 due to our inability to fund the upkeep of 3 stations, attention was turned to the center station. Some of our issues are: not having a spot for our Ladder in the center and our on call staffing in the south end where the Ladder is housed is very limited; the current bays are too small and limit our flexibility in replacing apparatus - the next engine to be replaced is up in 2020; the Tanker and an Engine are housed in the garage behind the station and at times are difficult to get out due to the Town not owning the driveway at the old post office; security; and interior space constraints for offices and quarters. The first question that I get asked is how much will a building cost?, which I cannot answer without specifics. The second is where will it be - based on the locations of our calls and our on-call firefighters I believe the best location is where it currently is - we have great east/west and north/south response options. I did a presentation to the Board of Selectmen last fall and they agreed a study would be appropriate to help identify what we need and at what cost. Therefore, a committee was put together to select a design firm to help us determine program needs which would be turned into a design of space needs. The firms charge would then be to look at the center station lot, the lot next door (the old post office) and the municipal parking lot to determine if either an addition to the current station or a new building would fit. An estimated cost would then be determined. This would be brought to the Town Manager and the BoS for potential inclusion in capital planning. My hope is that when a school project comes off the debt schedule in 2017/18, the Town would consider funding a station project. The committee is in the process of reviewing architect/design firms and will be making a recommendation to the Town Manager in the coming few weeks. The funding for this design phase (expected to be around $25,000) is coming from a bequeathment that was made around 2000 to the fire and ambulance departments with the caveat that it be used for a building project. In summary, we are just trying to take a look at the future and give the decision makers some information. Hope this helps to explain whats going on.
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 13:38:44 +0000
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