Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.

Main fire station officially closed for construction

Date: 6/18/2012

June 18, 2012

By Chris Maza

chrism@thereminder.com

WILBRAHAM — All Fire Department operations have ceased at the main fire station on Boston Road in order for the construction and renovation of the building to continue.

Fire Chief Francis Nothe and Building Inspector and Project Manager Lance Trevallion confirmed that all fire fighting and office personnel and equipment have been moved to the secondary station located at 6 Woodland Dell Road.

"It's tight quarters, but we should be back in the Boston Road location by December," Nothe said. "We have some vehicles outside and we realize we are in a residential neighborhood, so we're trying to be good neighbors.

The move, Nothe asserted, has not had any profound effect on the department's ability to adequately respond to emergency situations.

"As long as we have our communications and our equipment, it really doesn't matter where we are set up. We haven't noticed any difference in our level of service," he said. "We have redundancy at both stations, so if at any point we are forced to evacuate one station, the other station has all of the same resources."

Nothe explained that the biggest chore for the department was relocating all of the phones and computer systems.

Trevallion said that the contractors have been working on schedule at the Boston Road site. The necessary demolition of the building is complete and now the pouring of concrete and excavation for the placement of footings has commenced.

"They're also starting work on the masonry and the plumbing," he said.

While progress on the building may not seem apparent as of yet, Nothe said residents should expect to see visible headway shortly.

"With any project, getting out of the ground is the hardest part. It can be a slow process," he said. "But now that they've done that, I think that we will see a lot of progress in the next two to three weeks."

Trevallion said one aspect of the project that has hit a snag is the installation of the new radio tower. Residents voted at the May 14 Annual Town Meeting to transfer $39,950 from free cash toward the $79,950 communications project. However, it has yet to be determined whether or not the subcontractors chosen by the town or the communications company installing the tower are responsible for the pouring of its foundation.

Despite the minor snag, Nothe said he's pleased with the progress that has been made thus far and with the communication between parties.

"We've been meeting once a week with the general contractor and the subcontractors and then the next day meeting with the general contractor and the architect to make sure everyone is on the same page," he added.



Bookmark and Share