by Frank Schroth
At tonight’s session of Town Meeting the committee appointed to study Milton’s Fire Department needs will be giving a presentation of their report. The committee, chaired by Town Meeting Member Steve Morash, is recommending that the existing fire houses be replaced with new up to date structures. They write:
It is this committee’s conclusion that the most cost-effective solution to meet the current and future emergency response needs of the Town is to construct three new fire stations to replace each of the existing buildings.
The committee’s recommendations include:
- Fund and complete Emergency Repairs to the three Milton Fire Department Fire Stations as soon as possible.
- The Town must decide if the Milton Fire Department will remain a traditional fire suppression only department, or, should it deliver fire-based EMS.
- An article should be prepared for the Fall 2014 Town Meeting to authorize and fund a Fire Station Building Committee to design and build three new state of the artfire stations to provide fire protection and emergency medical services to the citizens of Milton. The first step should be a feasibility study by professional consultants to determine estimated construction costs for each station
Mr. Morash manages emergency response for Boston University. He was joined on the committee by Jack Grant, Chief of the Milton Fire Department, Tom Kelly, electrician and Town Meeting Member, Tom Hess, architect,, and Brian Tuohy, retired Fire Captain, Engine 21, Boston Fire Department. The full report can be found here.
Excellent beginning for a LONG overdue project. Milton cannot put off our MFD station needs any longer. Existing buildings were fine for horse powered apparatus, but our first rate fire department requires modern facilities to meet our present & future needs. Great start from a highly qualified fire study committee. Let’s move forward and not file this important report.
FYI – chief Grant will be sworn in as President of Fire Chief Association of Mass. In 2 weeks. An accomplishment Milton can be very proud of ! Many fire safety issues that affect us all are addressed on the State level and I am confident Chief Grant will have a successful & busy year.
Not to beat a dead horse, but it’s a shame we didn’t pass the Community Preservation Act. The state matching funds from that program would have gone a long way toward alleviating the cost of restoring/rebuilding our fire stations, clearly an imperative and long overdue project
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I’m with you Carolyn. We’ve contributed to this program for a dozen years and have not gotten anything back for our investment. In the meantime other cities and towns are using our dollars to acquire land, restore historic properties, build housing, and develop and rehabilitate parks and open space. The program also allows the town to issue bonds against future revenues so it can do large projects.
I’m currently involved in a project in Wellesley with a price tag over $6M, primarily funded by CPA.
The report recommends the construction of three new fire stations, but does not make recommendations for the preservation and re-use of the existing fire stations once the new are complete. These fire stations are important historic assets that contribute to the character of the town, and I believe they should be saved and re-purposed, either for municipal or private sector uses. There are a number of grant and tax credit programs available to aid in the preservation of historic structures, and as Peter Jackson notes, CPA funds can be used for such purposes. Additionally, by recommending that a new fire station be built on the site of the former East Milton Library, it appears that demolition of that historic building is recommended too. I urge reconsideration of the demolition of any of these four historic buildings in the next phase of fire station planning.
I agree, Cheryl, and also urge consideration of the feasibility of preserving some or all of these historic structure. As you note, CPA funds could be a financing source, if we were to adopt the CPA locally. However, even if Milton does not adopt the CPA, there are other potential financing sources, such as historic tax credits, which could be available if the structures were to be recognized as historically significant. Financing such as historic tax credits often fill the gap in private financing for repurposing assets such as these structures for use as housing, office or other purposes. Preservation is certainly worthy of study for these historic buildings which have been part of our town of a century or more.
The Committee did research the historical nature of the existing fire department buildings. They were found to be old, but not historic. Not sure about the former East Milton Branch Library.
Having said that, there is nothing on or off the table. in fact, there is not even a project at this time. I’m sure that the Moderator will appoint an expanded committee and issues such as preservation and siting and size will all be discussed and resolved.
To quote John Kennedy, “All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days . . .nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.”
I think this is a good starting point as we begin to work together.
Thanks you all for these first comments.
The Fire Study Committee report is both awesome and sad. Awesome in the work and effort that went into it but sad that the study was needed in the first place. Why our first responders have been given such low priority over the years is beyond me. It’s a tribute to the Milton Fire Department that it has been able to perform at the highest level under these deplorable working conditions.
The focus over the next years is to focus like proverbial laser beam to make these critical needs the town’s first priority.
Every other town department’s needs must line up behind the immediate needs of the Milton Fire Department.
I have just one question regarding the proposed location sites for a new fire station: As an alternative to the suggestion in the committee’s report that the historic East Milton Library building be demolished and a new East Milton fire station be constructed in its place was any consideration given to the state DPW yard on Granite Avenue if that property reverts to the town?
Paul,
The Committee did look at a number of different sites before making a final recommendation. In fact, one was the DOT yard. This was eliminated from consideration based upon two factors. Primarily, the fire response times for Engine 2 from this site were, in most cases, above the four minute response time standard. Second, this is a property that has a strong potential for generating revenue to the town.
The Committee then began to look at other options for Engine 2.