NORTHFIELD — Plans for a new emergency services facility are moving forward after voters at Wednesday’s Special Town Meeting overwhelmingly adopted three warrant articles pertaining to the project.
Northfield EMS Chief Matthew Wolkenbreit, who lives in Montague, addressed the 153 voters in the Pioneer Valley Regional School auditorium to urge affirmative votes on Articles 2, 4 and 5, which rescinded a 2024 vote to approve the purchase of a property in Bernardston that ultimately fell through, and authorized the purchase of 39 Main St. and the neighboring 41 Main St. in Northfield.
“Tonight, we are not simply talking about land or buildings. We are talking about the foundation on which Northfield EMS will stand for decades to come — about where help comes from when someone dials 911 on the worst day of their life,” he said. “Having completed my first year in this role, I’ve come to deeply appreciate our past and the responsibility we carry into the future, and I’m grateful for the chance to share that perspective tonight.”
Wolkenbreit gave a brief history of Northfield EMS, which now serves Northfield, Bernardston, Erving and Gill. He explained that increased call volume resulted in the service outgrowing its space at the Northfield Fire Station and moving into the leased building at 41 Main St., a converted gas station, in roughly 2012. The 1,488-square-foot building is owned by Sandri.
“It wasn’t perfect, but they made it work — because that’s what EMS does. It was their dedication that secured and renovated our station — much of it completed through community donations, volunteer labor and grassroots fundraising,” he said. “We must also honor the countless donated hours given by the men and women who served on-call for decades: volunteers who left warm beds, family dinners, children’s events and important moments because someone in their community needed help.
“Their sacrifices are not just stories of the past — they are the legacy we carry forward today,” he continued, “and they are the reason Northfield EMS stands where it does now.”
Voters opted to rescind their 2024 vote to approve the purchase of a Northfield Road property in Bernardston because the deal fell through. Special Town Meeting voters had previously approved purchasing and outfitting the Valley Concrete & Construction property for $2.1 million, with $312,012 slated to come from the Sale of Cell Tower Easement Account, nearly $1.11 million from the Emergency Services Building Account and $680,479 from the Capital Stabilization Fund.
Rescinding the vote allows the previously approved money to be put toward purchasing other properties that could be used to build a new emergency services facility.
Shane Burke and Megan Sullivan, who own 39 Main St., are essentially donating the property to the town, which will pay them $1 and cover $110,000 in closing costs, demolition and abatement of the house, which sustained heavy smoke and water damage in a fire in June.
Combined, the two properties form a single conforming, buildable lot, and a unified parcel allows for proper sanitary waste management, including septic placement that would be challenging on just the 41 Main St. lot, Wolkenbreit said.
He said the Northfield Emergency Services Facility Committee intends to meet at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3, to discuss next steps, which will include the timeline for demolition of the house at 39 Main St., further delineation of the property, planning for the design of new structures and other measures needing to be identified.
“EMS will continue to operate out of the current facility and utilize the temporary housing trailer through the winter while future plans are worked on,” he wrote in an email, referencing the roughly 700-square-foot trailer that arrived in July to provide Northfield EMS with extra space. The trailer contains two bedrooms, a full bathroom, laundry units, an office space, a kitchen and a living room for on-duty crew members.
Though efforts to secure a new home for Northfield EMS have long been in the works, the warrant article that inspired the majority of public discussion on Wednesday was Article 8, which voters adopted to signal that they agree to transfer $7,000 from available funds to pay for two flagpoles, flags, external halyards, solar lights, and any incidental costs for the installation of flagpoles at Town Hall and Dickinson Memorial Library.
Resident Sam Richardson stood up to ask why Selectboard members voted 4-0, to abstain from making a recommendation on the article and the Finance Committee voted 5-0 against recommendation, with one abstention.
Selectboard member Sarah Kerns explained she voted the way she did because she wanted more information on the subject, while Chair Barbara “Bee” Jacque said she is not unpatriotic or anti-flag, but she hoped there would be cheaper options.
Several veterans and others expressed being offended by the bodies’ lack of recommendation and spoke of service members’ sacrifices for the United States. Resident Mark Given said his grandfathers fought in World War I, his father served in World War II, his brother died fighting in the Vietnam War and he served in Operation Desert Storm.
“I didn’t get up here to shame you,” he told the Selectboard and Finance Committee members, “but I think you get my point.”
Robert Henry, of the Northfield Flag Committee, explained the desire to install flagpoles and lighting at Town Hall and the library and indicated that the committee would make the most fiscally responsible decisions possible.
Like Jacque, Bernhard Porada of the Finance Committee said he is not unpatriotic, but he feels the flags that are already being displayed around Northfield are a sufficient way to honor veterans when the town is feeling the pinch of the tight budget. Fellow Finance Committee member Morgan O’Brien later said she appreciates the Flag Committee’s work and dedication, and that her reservations stem from questions surrounding who will be in charge of maintenance after the project is completed. She is unsure who would repair damage or lower the flag to half-staff at the order of the governor or president.
“I don’t think that it totally makes sense to do it right now, where we’re spending 1% of our free cash so early in the fiscal year,” she said.
Frank Froment, who identified himself as a 37-year Army veteran, commented that every other Town Hall he has driven by displays a prominent American flag and state flag, while Northfield’s building at 69 Main St. does not.
“It’s appalling to us, especially veterans,” he said.
Froment also mentioned that the Selectboard voted 3-2 three years ago to use $9,039 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to buy a five-piece meeting room desk — an even higher sum than the $7,000 requested for flagpoles.
Voters ultimately adopted all 14 articles on the warrant, with other votes pertaining to paying a fiscal year 2025 ambulance repair bill of $4,654 with fiscal year 2026 EMS Enterprise Funds; transferring $75,444 from free cash to pay for heating, ventilation and air conditioning improvements at the library; and creating a Fire Department Capital Stabilization Fund in accordance with state law.
