(Daily Hampshire Gazette – Maddie Fabian) With $35,000 secured in the state budget to help pay for a feasibility study, the town is moving forward with planning for a new public safety complex to replace the police and fire stations, an effort that has been ongoing for years.
āThe only way to really appreciate how antiquated these two facilities are is to actually go in them,ā said Town Administrator Ed Gibson. āThey are well beyond their useful life.ā
The current police station is located in the old town hall, which was built in 1904, with an addition for police built in 1972.
The fire station is even older, having originally been built in 1863 as a schoolhouse. In 1971, an addition was built on three sides of the building to accommodate the Fire Department.
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As a start, state Sen. John Velis, D-Westfield, secured $35,000 in funding through the state budget, which was signed into law by Gov. Maura Healey last week.
āI think that you should have a public safety facility thatās safe, and we need to recognize the importance of our police and fire having a safe building to call home for work when itās their job to go out there and save lives,ā said Velis. āUnfortunately, studies cost a lot of money. ā¦ This was kind of that first step.ā
Four sites are under consideration for the new complex: 204 College Highway, the existing fire station site; 0 College Highway, across from Parker & OāGrady Law Office; 79 Clark St. and 89 Clark St., near Conant Memorial Park.