GREENFIELD — Though original plans placed the Fire Department in its temporary station in the municipal parking lot on Hope Street by the end of June or early July, an updated timeline sees it moving by the end of August.
Based on delivery dates for the living quarters, offices and apparatus bays, along with the six to eight weeks it will take to prepare all of the structures and the site, the estimated move date from Main Street is mid- to late August. Still, Temporary Fire Station Building Committee Chair David Moscaritolo said it could happen earlier if the structures are delivered earlier.
City Council approved a total of $17.3 million for both the temporary and new fire stations, of which $1.77 million is specifically for the temporary station. The living quarters and offices are contracted at $404,114, and the apparatus bays are contracted at just over $1 million.
The city’s Public Works, IT and Central Maintenance departments will do most of the site preparation and other work, so the city expects to save money and come in on budget. The work includes electrical, plumbing and under-trailer work.
“We’re doing our best,” Moscaritolo said. “It could be as early as early August when they move in.”
Vanguard Modular Building Systems of Danvers will deliver the living quarters and office space around May 20, while New England Builders of Methuen will deliver the apparatus bays on May 31. The structure that will house the larger firetrucks will be housed on the upper tier of the Hope Street parking lot, and the three other bays will be installed on the lower level.
“This is all based on delivery dates,” Moscaritolo said. “We’re on track as of now.”
According to Library Building Committee Co-Chair Ed Berlin, that updated timeframe should work for the new Greenfield Public Library construction project. The current fire station on Main Street must be razed to make room to build the city’s new library.
“There’s work we can do until the Fire Department moves,” he said. “Everything should be fine if it’s moved before September.”
Berlin said the city expects to break ground around July 1 or a little after. Originally, the plan was to break ground for the library in late April, but the date can be moved to July without losing funding from the state, he said.
Greenfield voters approved building a new library in late 2019 with a 61 percent positive vote. The state has promised $9.4 million for the project, leaving the city to pay about $10.1 million, but in order to receive the state money, the city has to follow state guidelines, including when to break ground. The Greenfield Public Library Foundation has said it will contribute about $2 million it plans to raise, reducing the city’s cost to about $8.1 million.
“The state wants this project to be successful, so it’s working with us,” Berlin said.
Moscaritolo said negotiations for the property on Coombs Avenue and Main Street, the former open-air market, are ongoing. The city hopes to build the permanent fire station there. The plan is for the Fire Department to stay on Hope Street for 22 months while the new fire station is being built.
Reach Anita Fritz at 413-772-9591 or afritz@recorder.com.