Dalton Advisory Panels Nixes Fire Station Add
DALTON, Mass. — The Public Safety Facility Advisory Committee eliminated the possibility of including a fire station in a public safety building.
Committee members highlighted several reasons, including the Fire District's separation from the town, its disinterest in purchasing a station, and its "house [being in] disorder."
The Board of Water Commissioners oversees the Fire District and the Fire Department.
The district had reconsidered the prospect of purchasing a former automotive garage, located at 385 Main St., to turn it into a fire station.
The advisory committee members alluded to how this prospect has stalled because of issues that have arisen in the district, including the suspension of the fire chief and his counter allegations and confusion surrounding the roles of the Prudential Committee and the Board of Water Commissioners.
Thomas Irwin, a town Finance Committee member and engineer, in July proposed the district could renovate the current fire station, purchase and modify the Dalton Garage, or renovate and build an addition to the Dalton Garage to address its space issues.
Advisory Committee co-Chair Don Davis said the Board of Water Commissioners recently shut down this prospect for the second time.
"The narrative from the commissioners were a fire department is done. Do not talk about it. It's over. Do not bring it up again," Davis said.
"So if they're the entity that's going to be paying for it, as it stands right now, they shut us down again."
If things change in the future, the committee said it is willing to revisit including the fire station in a public safety facility discussion, but at the moment, it is not feasible.
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