Work on new Uxbridge firE stAtIon nEArly DonE Public ribbon-cutting to take place April 21
UXBRIDGE — A grand opening ceremony and open house for the public to tour the new $9.25 million central fire station will be held in April.
Fire Chief William Kessler said a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new station, which officially opened on Jan. 14, will be held Saturday, April 21, at 10 a.m.
“There are still many punch list items being taken care of, and work is continuing on the outside, including the new parking lot next to Town Hall. It is our expectation that the work will be completed by then, with the possible exception of plantings,” Kessler said.
Work on the 14,365-square-foot fire station, which was built on a reconfigured site next to Town Hall on South Main Street, began in August 2016. The general contractor was Five Star Building Corporation out of Easthampton, Mass.
The project included the razing of the old fire station and construction of an entirely new building, complete with five drive-thru bays. The expansion will allow for two-way vehicle flow out of the five bays as well as parking for
the public and for firefighters.
Annual election voters in May of 2015 approved a debt exclusion to fund the new fire station, which was the second of two votes needed to move the project forward.
The plan was approved first by special town meeting voters who were asked to consider two companion articles related to the new fire station proposal, both of which were passed on near-unanimous votes. The first asked voters to approve and fund construction for the new station, while the second sought approval to modify zoning bylaws and allow municipal buildings (the new fire station) in the business and industrial zones.
The question on the annual election ballot a few weeks later asked voters to approve a debt exclusion to fund the project. That question was passed by a vote of 681 to 185.
The 14,365-square-foot station replaces the former 6,600-square-foot station on South Main Street, which town officials say was outdated and unable to house modern fire trucks and firefighting equipment.
Approximately $94,500 in funding for site assessment and schematic designs for the new facility came from the estate of Virginia and Lester Taft with the specific direction that it be used to fund a building project.
The cost of the fire station project is $9.25 million and will be paid for without increasing taxes. Town officials say the project will not increase the current tax rate because it replaces the 1996 school project debt that is coming off the schedule.
The town received a construction bond interest rate of 2.2 percent, which is the best rate the town has ever received for a construction project.
The new station has five drivethrough bays capable of housing the department’s current apparatus plus a ladder truck. The new station includes a meeting room for 24 people, and a radio and server room to house the town’s computer and phone servers and equipment for better security and protection. More importantly, the new building will allow the Fire Department to purchase standard fire vehicles instead of vehicles that needed to be custom built to fit inside the current station.
According to town officials, the new station was designed to meet the department’s needs for the next 30 to 40 years.
Earlier this month, the old fire station headquarters next door was demolished to make way for a new municipal parking lot next to Town Hall. Demolition of the circa 1928 headquarters, located between the Town Hall and the newly-constructed fire station, took less than two hours.