Call & Times

Uxbridge set to open new fire station

- By JOSEPH FITZGERALD jfitzgeral­d@woonsocket­call.com

UXBRIDGE – The town’s Fire Department now says it is expected to move into the new $9.25 million central street fire station on Wednesday, Dec. 20.

Work on the 14,365-squarefoot fire station, which was built on a reconfigur­ed site next to Town Hall on South Main Street, began in August 2016. The proposed constructi­on site has been a beehive of activity for more than a year.

The general contractor is Five Star Building Corporatio­n out of Easthampto­n, Mass.

“We’d like to thank Nolan Keegan from Keegan Constructi­on, our neighbor across the street from the current station, who was gracious enough to allow us to park a couple of our trucks there the past two to three months as we wait to get into the new station,” said Fire Chief William Kessler. “Since the asphalt topcoat is now on the aprons at the new station, we should be able to use that area now until our move in date.”

The project included the razing of the old fire station and constructi­on of an entirely new building, complete with five drive-through 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station replaces the former 6,600-squarefoot station on South Main Street, which town officials say was outdated and unable to house modern fire trucks and firefighti­ng equipment.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 estimated 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 is 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.

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