Winchendon officials seek public support for new fire station as voters head to polls Thursday

WINCHENDON ― Today's special town election will determine whether the town can pay for a design service to begin the construction process of a new addition to the 50-year-old fire station. The vote is a Prop. 2 1/2 debt exclusion vote, which means that the funds spent are excluded from the calculations of the tax levy increase each year.

Paying for the design service is the first step in the process of building the new addition that officials say is essential for the fire department to continue to serve the growing Winchendon population.

Town residents can cast their ballots at the Old Murdock Senior Center at 52 Murdock Ave. between 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Chief explains need to expand fire station

Fire Chief Thomas Smith said the fire department has outgrown the 405 Central St. fire station and now it's up to the Winchendon voters to decide whether or not to pay for an architectural design service.

"[A new facility] is something that the community as a whole really deserves to have," Smith said. "Nobody wants to spend the extra money, but it's necessary and it's something that the department needs to continue functioning to assist with safety in the community."

Smith emphasized the importance of the vote and asked Winchendon residents to call the fire station at 978-297-2324 at any time if they have any questions, and to learn more about the department by visiting http://winchendonfire.org/.

The current fire station was built in 1977 with space for one full-time firefighter but the team has quadrupled in size throughout the years. There are now 11 full time firefighters and 23 part time volunteer firefighters. The station needs three to four on-duty firefighters to proivde ambulance and fire services for the community, but there isn't enough space for four firefighters to comfortably complete a shift.

COVID-19 brought fire station's flaws to light

On-duty firefighters have to share a common sleeping and bathroom space. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed town officials to see problems with the shared living spaces and the need to build a bigger station for the department, according to Town Manager Justin Sultzbach.

"Knowing that this type of threat is out there prompted us to try to build separate bunk rooms for the firefighters," he said.

Town officials and the fire department plan to expand the fire station with several safety improvements that protect the health of the firefighters. The new station will help protect the health of the staff so they can continue to protect the community, Smith said.

Decontamination area and diesel exhaust system are planned

The new station will have enough space for the staff to have a designated decontamination area away from the living quarters to store their gear that can carry cancer causing carcinogens from the diesel exhaust.

Another health improvement feature will be a diesel exhaust emission system that captures and vents out any diesel particles that would otherwise reduce the air quality for the staff.

Firefighting has changed in the past 50 years and female firefighters are more common now, said Sultzbach. The staff is made up of both male and female firefighters, so the department has realized they do not have the space to accommodate new mothers who are breastfeeding.

"The current option for firefighters to breastfeed is effectively a broom closet," Sultzbach said. "A big piece of the new station is to give the staff privacy which the existing station just doesn't have enough space to do."

Fire department needs more space for trucks, equipment

The staff quarters are not the only problem at the fire station. There is not enough garage and storage space to keep all fire apparatus operational. The lack of space forces the department store fire safety equipment and trucks outside. During the winter months the department has to take trucks out of commission because the tanks full of water in the trucks will freeze when the temperature drops.

"We'll be able to keep all our apparatus inside which will allow us to keep all the trucks in service year-round, instead of taking equipment out of service for the winter," Smith said. "We haven't updated the building as far as components of the building at all."

As of right now, Smith's chief office also doubles as a storage closet for the station.

"The current state of the station really makes it difficult to convince people to come and work for us when they see we don't have basic accommodations," Smith said.

Town officials are not planning to do any renovation as of right now to the existing structure but in they hope to do so in the future after the construction of the new station Sultzbach said.

How much will this new fire station cost the taxpayer?

The estimate bid for the design service is $618,000 and with the architectural drawing town officials will have an exact construction cost, said Smith.

"We're going out to get the design documents first so that we can come to the town with an exact number," he said. "We don't want to have to continue going back and asking for more money as the project continues. We want to tell the town how much we need to build the station and move forward building it."

Town officials initially estimated the construction project to cost $12 million but they were able to reduce the price to $8.5 million, said Sultzbach.

The tax bill for an average Winchendon house valued at $280,000 is expected to rise by $33.80 annually if voters approve Thursday's ballot question.

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Winchendon residents to vote on funds to design new fire station