BERNARDSTON — Thanks to a land donation from Bernardston resident Frank “Bud” Foster, the Bernardston Fire Department could see an expansion of its facilities within the next few years.
According to Bernardston Fire Chief Peter Shedd, an expansion is long overdue.
“(The current station) is extremely overcrowded,” Shedd said. The station houses four vehicles, with no room for the department’s three equipment trailers, which are stored outside.
“There’s little to no office space,” Shedd added.
This will not be the first time that Foster, founder and former owner of Foster’s Supermarket in Greenfield, has donated land to the department. Shedd said Foster also contributed when the current station was constructed in the early 1970s.
“He’s just always been a very strong supporter of the Fire Department,” Shedd said.
“I’ve been supportive of the whole town over the years,” Foster, 96, said. “That’s my mission in life.”
Shedd felt that, should the station expand to better fit the needs of the department, it should remain centrally located. He communicated the department’s needs with the Board of Selectmen, and Selectman Robert Raymond approached Foster with the idea, Foster said.
“It’s a great idea,” Foster said.
Foster is donating a strip of lawn which Shedd said is about 50 feet wide and 150 to 200 feet long. Foster’s property is immediately behind the Fire Department on Hartwell Street.
Shedd said the department has had a preliminary feasibility study conducted on the property, and recently entered an agreement with Stevens & Associates, an engineering and architecture firm out of Brattleboro, Vt., to have a more extensive study conducted starting in November.
“We’re not just looking to expand right now, and turn around in five years and have to expand again,” Shedd said. “The expansion should take care of things for the next 20 or 30 years.”
The recommendation of the engineers and architects will influence whether the department decides to have a new, separate building constructed or to seek an expansion of the present building. Shedd hopes construction can begin next year, after the land has been surveyed, the feasibility study has been conducted and the Board of Selectmen has completed a contract for the land transfer.
As a result of the expansion, Shedd said the department will have more office space and larger bay areas.