By Adam Swift
The Fire House Building Committee (FHBC) has been getting out the word online about the town’s proposed new fire station on Winthrop Street.
The winthropfirestation.com site went live about two weeks ago and has already received about 1,000 unique visitors, according to members of the committee.
The site hosts a wealth of information about the proposed project, which will go before voters for a debt exclusion vote on Nov. 7, including the financial impact for homeowners, videos of past meetings, and a frequently asked question section. Residents are also able to ask questions about the project directly through the website.
Council President Jim Letterie said committee members aim to answer all questions about the project within 24 hours.
The total cost of the project, which is proposed for the site of the Wadsworth Building and Kirby Funeral Home, is expected to come in at between $36-$40 million.
The new fire station would replace the current two stations on Shirley Avenue and Pauline Street, both of which are more than a century old.
Letterie said the building committee is pleased with the traffic on the website, which has seen upticks in interest at certain times, such as when there is a Facebook post about the project, or when it is discussed in Town Manager Tony Marino’s weekly blog.
On the financial tab of the website, Letterie said homeowners can calculate the tax impact from the borrowing for the project. However, he noted that it is likely that not all the borrowing will be done at once.
If the project and debt exclusion is approved in November, Letterie stated there could be some borrowing done next January for items such as hiring an architect or project manager that would hit the tax rolls about halfway through Fiscal Year 2025.
The majority of the borrowing would likely not hit the tax rolls until the middle of FY27, Letterie said. Some of that borrowing would also be offset by borrowing for projects such as the Arthur T. Cummings School which will be coming off the books in the future.
The town will also be able to recoup money from the existing firehouse sites if the project passes, Letterie said.
“I think we’ve said and been pretty up front that the fire station on Shirley would probably be prime for redevelopment,” said Letterie, adding that there has been a lot of ongoing redevelopment in the Shirley Avenue area.
Letterie said the committee has also been steady in its commitment that whatever is done with the fire station on Pauline Street, the town feels a deep obligation to maintain that structure and the physical appearance of that building for historical significance.
The next scheduled meeting of the Fire House Building Committee is for a public hearing on Monday, Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. at the senior center.
At that meeting, Letterie said the building committee will be presenting initial plans for a phase II of the project, which calls for the renovation and addition to the police station.
Fire Chief Scott Wiley also urged any residents who want more information about the project to contact the building committee to set up a smaller group meeting with committee members to discuss the project.