GEMS may get a new northwest station
GREENWICH — A proposed new station for the Greenwich Emergency Medical Service in the northwest part of town, which has been sought for years, has moved one step closer to reality.
The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously Thursday morning to allow GEMS to seek municipal improvement status from the Planning and Zoning Commission for the project.
MI status would allow construction to take place on town land. But it is just one of several approvals, both for the design and the budget, that will be needed.
Attorney John Heagney, who is representing GEMS, said they hope to appear before the P&Z Commission in December to start consideration of the MI status and final site plan approval for the station, which would be located at 1327 King St.
If the project is approved and included in next year’s municipal budget, Heagney said they hope to start construction in summer 2021.
The new station would be located at the same location where GEMS currently has a trailer, which is next to the Griffith E. Harris Golf Course.
A new station has been a priority of GEMS for years. Executive Director Tracy Schietinger said GEMS has been in the trailer since 2013 — and it was only meant for a three-year use.
“It has long passed it’s useful life,” Schietinger said. “We are hoping the town will support a new home.”
GEMS, which is not a town department, operates independently as a nonprofit agency that contracts with the town to provide emergency medical services.
It raises money privately for new ambulances and equipment, but it receives town funding every year for staffing costs. The new station would be funded by the town.
GEMS is in touch with Town Administrator Ben Branyan and town Superintendent of Buildings and Maintenance Alan Monelli about the final plans, Heagney said.
Under their contract, GEMS and the town must “work together to find a suitable permanent location” for the station, Heagney said.
“Luckily we don’t have to have that conversation because I think that 1327 King St. is a perfectly suitable place for Station 4,” he said.
Some details — about laundry facilities and “green building” energy efficiency features — must still be worked out.
The new station would be a single-story building, Heagney said, which would allow for accessibility under the Americans With Disabilities Act as well as efficient plumbing and HVAC design.
“We have been trying to conscientious to make sure this design is both environmentally sound and cost efficient,” he said.
The town would own the new station. GEMS board member Andy Fox, who is also a member of the zoning commission, said Monelli would have final say over the plans.
The exact budget has not been set, but the construction cost is estimated at $1.4 million on top of the $1.7 million budgeted for design and preliminary work. Heagney said GEMS will meet with the BET to get the station included in the capital budget for 2021-22.
Heagney told the selectmen that the new station would meet a goal of the 2019 Plan of Conservation and Development, a case he will also likely make to the Planning and Zoning Commission in seeking MI status.
“Objective 6.4 of the Plan of Conservation and Development calls on the town to ensure that town residents have state-of-theart health and safety services,” Heagney said.
In the past, a new GEMS station has been linked to a new fire station in northwest Greenwich, which residents there have long sought. But the Representative Town Meeting has repeatedly blocked a new fire station.
First Selectman Fred Camillo noted the challenges GEMS faces maintaining the trailer.
“We’ve been pretty lucky lately with mild winters, but I know it’s always a concern having everything outside there,” Camillo said. “Hopefully, that is something everyone will consider.”
Selectwoman Jill Oberlander also discussed the increased demand for emergency services in the King Street corridor. She pointed to the private schools and nursing homes in the area as reasons for building a better GEMS station on King Street.