BERNARDSTON — Residents got a chance to see a few possible designs for a new or expanded fire station Tuesday night, but seemed to agree they’d need to strike a balance between going big enough to meet the department’s needs while keeping a tax increase within reason.
Jonathan Saccoccio, a project architect, and Cory Frehsee, a civil engineer and partner, both of Steven & Associates, presented four proposed designs to about 40 town residents in the elementary school’s cafeteria Tuesday. Before the meeting, residents squeezed themselves between engines and trucks during an open house for the current station on Church Street.
The four proposals range in estimated cost from between $1.85 million to about $4 million. Saccoccio said those numbers represent a wide range to encompass all the eventualities, but the true cost won’t be known until the design process proceeds.
The current 40-year-old building lacks adequate space for vehicle maintenance and storage, and could hamper a quicker response to an emergency, Saccoccio said.
The first design would be the most expensive, but Saccoccio said it represents the ideal modern fire station. Located on the same site, it would have four bays that could fit two trucks stacked one behind the other each, plus office and training space around the perimeter.
The second, which was presented but is no longer being considered, would have moved the facility to Library Street.
The third scheme would also include four bays, but the offices and the fourth bay would be built out of the sides of the main structure to reduce the overall size of the structure. The fourth would be the only one to preserve the existing building by adding on to it.
Residents told the designers and the Fire Station Expansion Committee that they’d like them to consider purchasing other property in town — potentially the property to the west of the existing station or another nearby property — to build a larger station that would accommodate the department’s needs far into the future, as equipment specifications and staffing needs grow and change.
Other residents and town officials questioned how expansive and expensive the project could be and still get taxpayers’ approval.
You can reach Tom Relihan at:
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