Justin Evans
Express correspondent
The Town of Plympton is advancing plans for a new fire station, with construction bids coming in at $11.1 million, nearly $2 million under the estimated cost. The total project, including equipment and other expenses, is expected to cost $14,285,000.
Jon Wilhelmsen, chair of the building committee, presented the project details and costs during a recent information session, emphasizing the need to replace the current 50-year-old station.
“Our current station is 50 years old. It’s done a great job, and I think it’s done another great job yet again because it’s done so much more than it was ever designed for,” Wilhelmsen says.
The existing station, originally designed for a call-fire department without EMS services, now struggles to accommodate modern equipment and safety requirements.
“The space and facilities properly cleaned and decontaminated are severely lacking in the building,” Wilhelmsen explains, noting that the current layout fails to separate contaminated gear from administrative and public areas.
The proposed 18-month construction project would begin this summer if approved at the annual town meeting on May 14 and in a subsequent debt exclusion vote on May 17.
For the average Plympton homeowner with a property valued at approximately $8,500 in annual taxes, the project would add about $468 annually, or $117 quarterly, to their tax bill. This amounts to 88 cents per $1,000 of property valuation. This assumes a 30-year bond at 4.5%, however borrowing will be at market rate sometime this summer if the project is approved.
The town plans to offset some costs by supplementing $100,000 annually from capital stabilization funds. Additionally, existing debt that will be paid off in the next two years, the Dennett and Silver Lake debt, will help mitigate the impact on taxpayers.
Dan Pallotta, the owner’s project manager from P3, emphasizes the competitive pricing secured for the project.
“If you look at the cost of fire stations and Google it, all throughout the Commonwealth, you might find a substation, which is subsidiary to a headquarters. You might find one that’s a little less than this, but you’re not going to find a headquarters less than the cost of this project,” Pallotta says.
The building committee received eight bids from pre-qualified contractors, with the lowest responsible bid coming in at $11.145 million. The selected contractor has experience building fire and police stations and has previously worked with the project’s architecture firm.
The new station will be located behind the police station on the town complex. The design includes an apparatus bay large enough for all department vehicles, dedicated decontamination areas, administrative space, living quarters, and a training room that can double as a community space.
“This allows for them to come in from a fire, be able to take their gear off, be able to utilize it with gear washers and dryers, be able to decontaminate in the showers that are in here before they ever get back into the other space,” Wilhelmsen explains about the decontamination area.
The project also includes a new septic system for the entire town complex, estimated to cost about $100,000. A separate project funded by American Rescue Plan Act money will provide a new public water supply for the complex.
Committee members stress that renovation of the existing station was considered but rejected as impractical and potentially more expensive. Renovation would require a temporary station costing $2 to $3 million and would still not address all the space limitations.
“From a cost-efficiency standpoint, renovation is not an option to continue to use this as a fire facility for the next 50 years,” Wilhelmsen says.
The committee suggests the current fire station could potentially be repurposed as a community center or senior center after the new station is completed.
During the information session, one resident, Nancy Butler, emphasized that the project is about more than just a building.
“My concern is the safety of these men back here. I have firefighters in my family, and I know what they go through. And I think we need to seriously consider their safety,”Butler sid. “These are our friends. These are our neighbors. They live on our street. They live in our town. We need to protect them as much as we need a new building.”
The proposed debt exclusion would remain on tax rolls for the 30-year bond period and then drop off, rather than permanently raising the tax levy.
Wilhelmsen urges residents to attend the next information session or reach out to committee members with questions before the May votes.
“If we don’t do it this year, next year it’s going to cost more. It’s the only thing I can promise you,” Wilhelmsen says, noting that construction costs have been increasing at 7 to 8 percent annually, well above the 2.5 percent annual tax increase limit under Proposition 2.5.