Letter: Planning for a New Fire Station Should Begin Right Now

There are reports that some announcements will be made in October about the future for our Main Street Fire Station and South Pleasant Street DPW Center. 

Many town  residents and town employees look forward to hearing this.  Our town should consider commissioning the following actions for these buildings. To delay these steps below will only add to the final construction costs , not to mention the impact on the tax rate.  Delays cost tax dollars:

1. As other towns have done; planning committees for these projects should be formed as Norfolk, Bedford and Boxborough have done. This will cost very little except for the professional studies that will be needed.  
2. Grants, if they are available, should be researched and applied for now as grants have so many time restrictions for application, consideration, awarding and then implementing grant dollars within budget years. 
3. If locations are announced will there be an effort to seek neighborhood awareness, consideration and acceptance now?  Without this consensus up front there is no value to further site planning. 
4. There should be an effort to prepare these sites to be “shovel ready” in terms of local acceptance, potential grant funding. land use, and environmental approvals,and structural plans.
5. Given the town’s taxation pressures, there should be an effort to analyze whether these structures can be lower cost buildings while retaining practicality and functionality. For example: the steel structure Williamsburg Fire Station is 8,000 square feet and cost $5 Million which is functional but affordable .  Alternatively, the new stone and brick Greenfield Fire Station appears more costly.  Can a steel structure or a “Butler” building offer a lower cost  option?  
6. Would placing these facilities under one roof or one location save construction costs and other time consuming approvals? Can the existing DPW site and its spatial capacity be maximized or enlarged by storing its vehicles at another satellite site?  Some of these vehicles and/or equipment are not used daily. Consider all  these options with spatial professionals. 
7. In speaking with many town stakeholders there are many views on this issue in terms of location, cost, size and merged or independent locations. But given the tax limits on our town the need is to seek solutions that are financially appropriate to a town with a very constricted and flat tax revenue base. 
8. While many scoff at this example, it should be noted that in the last 12 years Hadley has completed their Library, Senior Center along with a unified public safety building. And at present Hadley is progressing on a new DPW Facility.  And yes Hadley is a smaller town but they are still completing their capital project goals.    

If we continue to avoid  pre-planning then the final project costs and taxation increases will be higher.  The slow pace of these issues is sending a non-positive dispiriting morale message to our hard working public safety and public works employees.  They deserve a clear message that the town is planning now.  I am very hopeful that these steps will be a part of any October announcement.  This issue deserves  a positive “October Surprise” announcement where all preparation steps and actions will be advanced together.