N. Stonington strikes deal for use of old firehouse

North Stonington — After months of negotiations, town officials have struck a deal with the local fire company to allow the town to use the old firehouse building on Route 2 for its recreation department after the fire company moves into the new emergency services center building.

The agreement, made late last month, is for one year. The town would pay utilities and insurance coverage for the building and maintain it, while the North Stonington Volunteer Fire Co. would own the building and collect rent from the cell tower on the property.

The town will not be responsible for paying for any part of the cell tower though, and will build an additional garage unit at the site of the new emergency services building to allow the fire company more storage space.

Although the initial agreement is for only one year, the idea was that going with a shorter agreement would allow the town and the company to get a firmer grasp on how the arrangement will work and enable both parties to fine tune things if necessary, said First Selectman Mike Urgo.

Urgo said he was excited that both sides worked out an arrangement that left everyone happy and provided a new venue for the recreation department.

“It was part of a lot of people in town’s vision, and we wanted to carry it out,” he said, adding that the building will supply a new community space in line with the town’s Plan of Conservation and Development.

Back in February, town officials began talking with fire company leadership about the possibility of the town assuming use of the firehouse building, when the company transferred to the new emergency services building in the next month or so. However, negotiations stalled mainly because the fire company was concerned about not having enough space for all of its vehicles and equipment.

The new emergency services building ended up being significantly smaller than what the town had originally planned for, and that lack of space left the company rather reluctant to part with the old building. In supplying additional garages at the new location however, the fire company’s concerns were alleviated.

In the immediate future, Urgo said the recreation director will soon move into the offices at the old firehouse, although the town has not budgeted any money in the proposed budget for upgrading the building this year.

The long-term vision for building potentially may include using the space for an after-school program or other activities like yoga, Urgo said.