NORTHFIELD — The Emergency Services Facility Committee has nearly finished Phase 1 of its work toward building a multi-million-dollar public safety complex on Main Street just north of Dickinson Memorial Library.
The EMS, fire and police chiefs have agreed on a design proposal to bring to the Selectboard for a vote on Tuesday, Sept. 20. After the board votes, there will be a public information session to share the design plans at a yet-to-be-determined date.
“We came out of that meeting with cooperation from all of us,” Mark Fortier, EMS chief and Emergency Services Facility Committee member, said following last week’s discussion. “I fully support the design as it is.”
Although the process of pursuing a new facility has been ongoing for years, the release of a video tour showcasing the inadequacies of Northfield’s police, fire and emergency medical services buildings in February reinvigorated efforts. All three facilities have been criticized for being outdated, disorganized and having severe size limitations for personnel and equipment.
Town officials considered many potential locations for a shared facility before honing their focus on the vacant lot on Main Street owned by Ed Snow. Annual Town Meeting attendees gave their approval in May for the town to purchase the roughly 23 acres of land. Fire Chief Floyd “Skip” Dunnell III has said about 10% of the property could be used to house a public safety building, and the rest would be used for town recreation.
Last month, the architecture firm Caolo & Bieniek Associates Inc. met with the three chiefs to show them three possible designs. The chiefs chose one of the designs and gave the firm feedback for developing final drawings. Last week, Caolo & Bieniek Associates Vice President John MacMillan presented the design, incorporating this feedback, to the Emergency Services Facility Committee.
The final design includes three distinct sections of the building — one for police, one for fire and one for EMS — with an area in the middle featuring conference rooms and other multi-purpose rooms to be shared by the three departments. At this point, the design is 18,200 square feet.
The original design proposal included 20 parking spaces for the public. This was reduced to nine spots in the new design, with a side containing grass or gravel to accommodate overflow parking. According to Fortier and Dunnell, who chairs the Emergency Services Facility Committee, there isn’t a significant need for public parking. Twenty-four parking spaces for first responders were placed close to the building to ensure fast transitions.
“If we have a combined training with the different departments, we will have space in the overflow parking,” Dunnell explained.
Also, the new design includes one large driveway rather than two smaller ones, a change that allows vehicles to move more freely without being blocked in by others.
The new design also orients the Fire Department along the east side of the property. Originally, the building was oriented 90 degrees to the left. The change provides more of a buffer from wetlands to the south of the property.
The building would be located within a 100-foot buffer zone of the wetlands, but outside the 50-foot buffer zone that the Conservation Commission requires as a minimum. Within 100 feet, construction must follow certain conditions.
MacMillan explained he reduced building costs by decreasing the height of the apparatus bays — the area where emergency response vehicles are stored — by 4 feet. In June, MacMillan had provided a nearly $13.04 million cost estimate.
The laundry area was also moved away from the administrative area in the amended design.
“Phase 2 will be the next four months,” MacMillan said.
Once the design is approved, the architecture firm will work with various engineers to complete all planning needed before the project goes out to bid. A spring 2023 bid date is anticipated.
At last week’s meeting, the Emergency Services Facility Committee discussed best practices for presenting the proposed design to residents. Members said they will hold a Special Town Meeting to make the decision, allowing the plans to be explained with ample time for questions and explanations.
Town Administrator Andrea Llamas said she is not worried about residents not showing up for a Special Town Meeting regarding the public safety complex, considering the price tag involved.
“People are going to come to the special meeting,” Llamas said. “This is the biggest expenditure for quite some time.”
Bella Levavi can be reached at 413-930-4579 or blevavi@recorder.com.