BERNARDSTON — Advocates of a new fire station — worried that townspeople will balk at funding the current $3.7 million plan — hope they may have found a way to shave hundreds of thousands off the price tag.
The search for a way to expand the current fire station at 18 Church St. or build a new one entirely has continued since September. Fire Chief Peter Shedd has said the current station is extremely overcrowded, with no room to store the department’s three equipment trailers and little office space.
Though the Fire Station Expansion Committee has considered several potential properties, it voted unanimously on May 9 to have Selectman Robert Raymond negotiate the best possible price for a 5.62 acre lot at 23 Kringle Drive, and the Selectboard authorized a $500 payment to hold the lot during a Wednesday meeting.
The Kringle Drive lot offers the most room for expansion and wouldn’t displace any residents, though its purchase is contingent on a favorable town meeting vote.
“This does not bind the town in any way to purchase the land,” Raymond clarified during the Selectboard meeting.
https://mortonbuildings.com/
Hoping to keep construction costs down to a figure that might pass at town meeting, the committee is seeking alternatives to a proposed $3.7 million building envisioned by architecture and engineering firm Stevens & Associates, which conducted a study for the town. One idea that seems promising to Shedd is working with Morton Buildings, a construction company out of Westfield that makes metal buildings.
According to Morton Buildings’ website, the company has constructed more than 1,000 municipal buildings across the country, including fire stations. Shedd said the company is also known in Bernardston, having constructed buildings for Dead River Company and CaroVail, both on Northfield Road.
Shedd said in the case of a 6,000-square-foot Bernardston fire station, Morton Buildings would be tasked with constructing a metal shell, enclosing it and making it air and water tight. The committee would negotiate with other contractors regarding concrete, electrical, heating and plumbing work.
By doing so, Shedd hopes to substantially reduce the $3.7 million that Stevens & Associates expects it would cost to construct a building of that size at 23 Kringle Drive. The figure includes property acquisition costs, with sellers originally asking $695,000.
“They seemed pretty confident they could beat that,” Shedd said of Morton Buildings representatives who spoke at the most recent Fire Station Expansion Committee meeting on May 17. “We’re waiting for them to come up with some paperwork and numbers, and we’ll go from there.”
Currently, Shedd said Morton Buildings hasn’t presented the committee with solid figures. Still, Shedd said “it’d be nice to be down around the $2 million mark.”
Various committee members have expressed concerns that a $3.7 million borrowing figure wouldn’t pass at town meeting. Committee member Jane Dutcher, who is also Finance Committee chairwoman, previously said such a loan with a 3.75 percent interest rate would raise the tax rate by $1.38 for a 30-year loan, and $1.68 for a 20-year loan.
Should the committee be able to secure lower figures through Morton Buildings, Shedd hopes residents will approve the project, while keeping the tax rate as low as possible.
You can reach Shelby Ashline at: sashline@recorder.com