NORTHFIELD — Ahead of the Nov. 19 Special Town Meeting where voters will weigh in on whether the town should borrow money for a new Northfield EMS building, about 30 residents gathered in the Pioneer Valley Regional School cafeteria on Thursday to check out the proposed plans for the site.
According to Northfield EMS Chief Matt Wolkenbreit, the current EMS station at 41 Main St. was built in 1955, and there is a trailer on site that houses his office and living quarters for first responders.
In response to a question about whether an addition could be built on the current building, Ann Ledwell, project manager with PMA Consultants, said the existing building has several structural issues and would not be “an easy or quick fix.” A study analyzing the issues estimated the cost alone would come to six figures.
“The issue is, where do we go?” Wolkenbreit added.
He pointed out that the EMS providers would need to continue their services during any renovations and ambulances are required to stay in climate-controlled garages. A temporary structure for the first responders in the meantime would be a “huge cost” without a tangible long-term impact for the town, he said.
As the proposed plan for a new EMS building is still in the feasibility phase, Amy Dunlap of HKT Architects presented the conceptual design.
The 10,085-square-foot building would sit south of the current station and include a garage with space for three ambulances, an additional vehicle and storage; a lobby; an office for Wolkenbreit, as well as a room for administrative tasks; four rooms with beds for the first responders; a “Day Room” with a kitchen for providers on-shift; a “Wellness” room; a conference room designed to fit the department’s full staff of 20 people for trainings and meetings; two shower rooms; and two toilet rooms.
“Nothing’s set in stone at this point. We can certainly look at everything, but it always comes back to programming and what the department needs … because if we build a building and it doesn’t work for the chief and it doesn’t work for his operations, then it doesn’t work,” Dunlap said, answering a question about whether the designs have “wiggle room” to shrink.
Upon being asked whether the conference room is necessary, Wolkenbreit said his team currently gathers in the station’s garage for meetings and conducts its training sessions in other towns. He called the “flexible space” for these trainings, medical simulations and meetings a necessary component of the proposed plans.
Fielding another question, Wolkenbreit noted the roof of the building was designed to accommodate solar panels, but the design left them out to avoid driving up the cost.
Ledwell broke down the maximum projected amount the town would have to borrow for the building, which comes to approximately $9.51 million over 30 years.
Based on this number, the average borrowing cost for 28 of the 30 years would come to $636,500 annually, with a lower cost for the first two years. Given that $200,000 of the $636,500 would come from money already in the town budget and $100,000 would be added to the other three member town’s assessments, $336,500 would impact the tax rate under this maximum budget, raising it by 44 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. According to Wolkenbreit, the borrowing would not start until fiscal year 2030.
For a house assessed at $341,663 — the average value of a Northfield home in 2026, according to PMA Consultants’ calculations — the new building would raise property taxes by $150.32 annually over the 30 years. For residents seeking to determine the exact impact on their tax bills, the town has a calculator at northfieldemsprojectcalc.netlify.app that forecasts the projected tax impact based on assessed home values.
Wolkenbreit stressed that the $9.51 million budget is a “maximum number” that he and PMA Consultants expects will drop as they iron out the uncertainties during the process and HKT Architects fine-tunes the design.
“We’ve overestimated on expenses and we’ve underestimated on revenue, so the whole goal is to not have a big surprise,” Selectboard Chair Barbara “Bee” Jacque said.
She added that the $9.51 million figure does not take into account any increases in tax revenue for the town or support from the state and federal government.
“We’re presenting you with this magnificent number that has a lot of fail-safes built into it, a lot of what-ifs built into it,” Wolkenbreit explained, “so that way, once this project moves forward with the support of the town in November … we’re only going to be able to deliver a better financial picture to you as we move forward.”
Resident Rob Newton voiced concern over the tax burden of the project in combination with the Franklin County Technical School building project and ongoing conversations about a new home for the Northfield Fire Department.
“I’m just concerned about the whole package and everything that’s happening around and how that’s going to affect all of us,” Newton said.
“You are 100% correct. I have no other answer for you other than yes, there is a 1 + 1 + 1 that’s coming down the road to create infrastructure for the community,” Wolkenbreit replied. “As the EMS chief, I focus on my staff and the service we provide, and I acknowledge that this is a lift. I want to do everything we can to be able to provide this service in a responsible way, in a fiscally responsible way.”
He mentioned that the providers cannot wash the ambulances inside the garage at the current station, causing salt and other damage to accumulate on the vehicles. He believes a new space will lengthen the lifespans of the ambulances.
“We’re hoping that we can take better care of our equipment, better care of our staff and make everything go so that we don’t continue to have huge capital burdens on the city as far as EMS goes,” he continued, “but it is where we’re at. I’m beholden to you to be able to provide the service.”
In terms of state support, Jacque added that state Sen. Jo Comerford has been “responsive” to Franklin County towns’ concerns regarding the tax burden for the new Franklin Tech school.
“I’ve been working with her long enough to know that when Sen. Comerford gets a concern,” Jacque said, “she really follows through.”
Resident Jinx Hastings brought up the possibility of the other member towns — Bernardston, Gill and Erving — contributing more money to the project.
“There’s been a lot of discussion about why the other three towns don’t have more skin in the game,” Hastings said. “Some people in town would like to see a similar proposal like what Franklin Tech has, where four towns would in fact own the building. I know it’s complicated, but for longevity and financial security, I think we need to look at something that would encompass the [three] other towns proportionately by their population.”
Wolkenbreit described the $100,000 rise in the assessments for the other member towns as a “conservative number” that would likely change, but he said he cannot negotiate the assessment increase until later in the process when the budget for the new building is finalized.
While he said Hastings’ suggestion is “not out of the realm of possibilities,” he said he has not heard of a regional EMS district that several towns own.
“To be the first in something like that where you are essentially creating a new business entity is a lot of work,” Wolkenbreit said, “and you only get one bite at it.”
Residents can bring their questions about the proposal to a community drop-in session on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 2 to 4 p.m. at The Brewery at Four Star Farms. Ledwell will also be at Town Hall on Wednesday, Nov. 4, and Wednesday, Nov. 18, from 3 to 6 p.m. on both days to answer questions.
