New fire station up for vote at Maynard Town Meeting
Holly Camero
Please support local journalism by subscribing to your local newspaper at https://explore.mypapertoday.com/wickedlocalpremium/. And be sure to sign up for our free weekly newsletter to get Maynard and Stow news delivered right to your inbox.
In March 2018, special Town Meeting voters approved the purchase of a plot of land on Sudbury Street to build a new fire station. This was followed by a May 2018 annual Town Meeting vote to pay for design plans for a new station to be built on that lot.
Nearly two years later, voters at the Oct. 3 special Town Meeting will be asked to consider a debt exclusion to fund the building of a new fire station. The station comes with a price tag of $16 million, which is estimated to increase about $500,000 each year the project is put off.
“The [current] building doesn’t suit our needs,” said Anthony Stowers, Maynard fire chief.
The vote is the culmination of a multi-year process, begun in 2007 and overseen by several building committees, to determine if the existing station, built in 1954, should be renovated or abandoned.
The existing station is in disrepair and does not meet current building codes. A 2007 report completed by C.A. Crowley Engineering determined that the boiler was failing, there was asbestos and lead paint in the building, and the electrical system was outdated. The boiler was replaced in 2010 but has started to fail again, said Stowers. Nothing else from the 2007 report was repaired or mitigated.
Early on in the process, it appeared the existing station could be renovated and added onto if the town could purchase some of the adjacent properties. However, with changes in building codes, which include adding an elevator to make the station ADA compliant, and making the building earthquake proof and compliant with Massachusetts energy codes, among other things, it was later determined this option would be too costly.
A feasibility study done in 2015 by Dore and Whittier, showed the building needed upgrades to address space needs and code deficiencies – including ADA regulations and seismic requirements -- energy issues, electrical and mechanical deficiencies, lack of equipment and hazardous materials storage, and the absence of an elevator and a fire sprinkler system. They estimated the cost to renovate and add onto the building would be about $20 million. That cost included acquiring adjacent properties.
“The building is beyond its useful life,” Stowers said.
A leaky roof and unsafe conditions
The apparatus bay is too small to house the department’s trucks, and has no ventilation system so fumes from the bay can drift upstairs. The roof is leaking, the building has no air-conditioning system, men and women have to share bathroom and changing areas, and there is not enough parking so staff members must park in municipal spaces across the street, Stowers said.
Sidney Boardman, chairman of the Fire Station Building Committee, and a former firefighter, said he worries about the health and safety of the firefighters in the current building. Gear should not be stored in the living area, because it may carry carcinogens from smoke, but there is no separate space to store it in the current building, he said.
A new ladder truck, purchased about three years ago is housed outside under a car port.
“That’s not good for it. In the winter we have to drain the pipes in the pump to make sure nothing happens to it,” Stowers said.
Designed for efficiency
While many towns have smaller ancillary stations in addition to their main station, Maynard only has one station.
“Everything happens in this one building,” Stowers said.
If approved, the new building will be 19,000 square feet, the majority of which is the apparatus bay, he said.
The new design has “no frills” and a minimum amount of space for expansion. It includes space for training and six bedrooms, because firefighters work 24-hour shifts, and an office that can be converted into another bedroom or living space, should the need arise. The bedrooms and administrative office are smaller than in the current station.
“I can assure everyone that we made the footprint as small as possible,” Stowers added.
If voters approve the article, the additional tax levy would be about $75 for the average single-family household in fiscal 2021. In fiscal 2022, an additional $150 would be levied.
The debt exclusion would also have to be approved at an upcoming Town Election.
Maynard Town Meeting
WHEN: 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 3
WHERE: Mill & Main, Sudbury Street parking lot, Maynard
DETAILS: Similar to the special Town Meeting in June, this meeting will drive-in-movie style