New Firehouse Building Committee gets Down to Business

By Adam Swift

The town’s newest Firehouse Building Committee held its first meeting Monday night in preparation for a debt exclusion vote for the construction of a new fire station at the old middle school site on Pauline Street on Saturday, April 5.

The members heard from architects from Kaestle Boos on the conceptual plans for the three-story, 27,000-square-foot building and the potential cost of the project.

In addition, the members discussed the length of a potential debt exclusion for the project.

The members sworn in for the new building committee included Fire Chief Scott Wiley, Deputy Fire Chief Steve Calandra, Council President Jim Letterie, Jill Door, Karin Chaviz, Shannon Poulos, Kim Dimes, Joe Hanlon, Marc Wallerce, Paul Flanagan, and honorary member Richard Bang.

Larry Trim from Kaestle Boos reviewed the current conceptual plans for the building and the site.

“We have kept the gymnasium, the related locker rooms, and some mechanicals to keep the functionality of the rink as well as to keep that facility alive for the town,” said Trim.

The site plan also preserves the existing parking for the gymnasium.

The concept for the fire station itself calls for a main apparatus bay with four doors and an auxiliary bay with two doors. The main entrance would be to the right of the building and the watch/radio room would be near the entrance. The entrance would also be near the elevator which would access office and living spaces on the second and third floors.

The area for turnout gear, decontamination, and other essential services would be to the rear of the first floor. A mezzanine area with a three-story training tower would separate the main bays from the auxiliary bays. The main bays would be drive-throughs so fire apparatus would not have to back into the bays from the road, but be able to access the bays from the parking lot.

The bunk rooms would be on the second floor over the apparatus bay doors with access to the kitching, dining, and shower areas. The fire prevention office would also be on the second floor.

The third floor would include the administration and command offices and some conference space.

Wiley said the apparatus bays would be sufficient to store and  handle the department’s current apparatus, as well as allow for possible expansion.

The long-term plan, Wiley said, is to provide medical services through the fire department. The auxiliary bays would provide room for an ambulance, he said.

“This is a concept, and we are looking for feedback from the building committee to help us shape this as we make it more of what you are looking for,” said Trim.

Michael McKeon of Kaestle Boos reviewed what he referred to as the opinion of probable costs. Taking into account construction costs, owner’s indirect costs such as design and owner’s project manager fees, and equipping costs for furniture, technology, and other items, McKeon said the total estimated cost was just under $41 million.

However, Letterie noted that the estimate included $3.69 million for the relocation of a stormwater pipe that was later determined to be under the gymnasium. He said that pipe relocation would not be part of the fire station project, but that there should be a $1 to $1.5 million line for other drainage-related costs.

Letterie said he estimated the total project cost would be around $38.5 million.

“These numbers are going to be finetuned and we are going to feel comfortable about them when we are going out for the debt exclusion,” said Letterie. “We are trying to make as conservative an estimate as we can.”

Letterie said there have also been discussions about the potential length of the debt exclusion.

“We are looking at approximately $38 million of borrowing at 25 years versus 30 years,” he said. “We have usually been borrowing for 30 years.”

At 30 years, Letterie said the property tax bill for a homeowner, based on the average home assessment of $689,000 in Winthrop, would see an increase of $445 per year.

“At 25 years, this $445 would go to about $475,” Letterie said. “It would be an extra $30 per year.”

But Letterie said the shorter borrowing window would save the town and taxpayers between $8 million to $9 million because of the shorter period of time and slightly lower interest rates.

“The other thing that is important with the debt exclusion is we have another debt exclusion, Miller Field, which is coming off the tax rolls in Fiscal ‘31,” he said.

Because all of the borrowing for the fire station would not be done at once but as needed, Letterie said the full assessment of $445 per year would not hit the tax rolls until Fiscal ‘27. By the time Miller Field comes off the tax roll, Letterie said the increase would effectively be about $300 per year for the average homeowner.

Committee members also discussed the campaign to get out the word for the debt exclusion vote.

“Everybody knows how desperately we need a fire station,” said Wiley.

The fire chief pointed to a study from 1993 that outlined the need for a new station. Wiley added that even more than 30 years ago, the study showed that rehabilitating the town’s two existing fire stations would not provide the room needed for a modern fire department.

“The entire footprint of both of those stations compared is about 12,000 square feet,” said Wiley. “We are looking at a 27,000-square-foot building.”