By Ellen G. Lahr
The Berkshire Eagle Staff
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The town’s fire chief said he is fully satisfied with the location and design plans now in place for a new fire station proposed for property on State Road.
Fire Chief Harry Jennings and Deputy Chief Edward G. McCormick said they are hopeful that town meeting voters will show up in force at next Monday’s special town meeting to finally put the 10-year-old station problem to rest.
A two-thirds majority vote is needed to authorize borrowing $9.48 million to build a new station at the so-called Broverman property.
Although a two-thirds vote is widely considered a challenge for any town project, fire station proponents say that any more delays in replacing the existing firehouse will merely add more to the cost.
“The location is excellent, the circulation for vehicles is excellent, a one-story building has a huge advantage, and it’s closer to Housatonic and still covers the downtown area,” Jennings said.
“And the price came in where I hoped, under $10 million,” he said. “I think we have a real chance of passing that. I’ve seen these costs triple over the years, and they aren’t going to go down.”
The special town meeting is at 7 p.m. at Monument Mountain High School.
Tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, the Finance Committee will first hash out the money matters involved in the project with a maximum estimate of $9.48 million. The lower range of the project is estimated at $8.5 million.
The board -- whose members are divided in their opinion on the project -- will take a vote on recommendation to give to town meeting voters.
The final project cost depends on several variables: construction bids, interest rates on a 20-year bond for the project, and whether the town dedicates some existing cash toward the project.
Finance Committee members will discuss how to structure the project tomorrow night. Chairman Paul Gibbons said that the board wants to hear input from town residents on the project.
Proponents and opponents
Meanwhile, next Monday’s annual town meeting is likely to draw several constituencies to the high school auditorium: fire station proponents, who are willing to bite the tax bullet for the long-overdue project, and opponents, who believe that the cost is too high for taxpayers.
There also will be voters who believe that the project should be built more cheaply, on town-owned land in the Gilmore Avenue residential neighborhood, and the anti-Gilmore voters, who are determined to support the Broverman plan to protect the Gilmore neighborhood.
The Gilmore Avenue site is a town-owned land parcel adjacent to the Southern Berkshire District Court -- a former town school -- and efforts to site a fire station there in the past have met stiff opposition from neighbors.
The land would cost nothing, compared with the Broverman property, which will cost the town $2.5 million. But the Gilmore location poses safety problems for volunteer firefighters arriving at the station while fire trucks are leaving, according to McCormick.
Parking space there would be limited, and building construction costs there could be up to $500,000 more than on State Road, based on site conditions and drainage issues there.
Nevertheless, if the Broverman site fails to garner the two-thirds majority vote needed for passage, the Selectmen have said they will implement the Gilmore alternative again at the May 14 annual town meeting.
“Everyone has really done their homework, and the plan has been cut back as far as it can be cut, for the needs of the fire station,” said McCormick. “Unfortunately, there is a land cost.”
Surplus properties at issue
McCormick said the town’s priority should be to unload its surplus properties as soon as possible: the old Searles/Bryant school complex, the old town fire station, the former Dewey School -- which houses the courthouse operation -- and the former Housatonic Elementary School.
“If this were private industry, and you had surplus equipment, you’d put a ‘for sale’ sign out front, and that’s what the town needs to do,” McCormick said. “The Selectmen have to take the initiative to do this.”
Tax impact calculated
The town has calculated the tax impact of the $9.48 million project, based on borrowing the full amount over 20 years, at $250 for the average town residence valued at $346,357.
That amount would apply to the average fiscal 2008 residential tax bill, and would decline to $137 in the final year of the bond.
The impact per $100,000 of property valuation is $72.26 in the first year of borrowing, declining to $39.74.
Dr. Alan Inglis of Gilmore Avenue, who opposes the Gilmore option, said the tax impact of the Broverman land purchase would be $66 for the average homeowner in the first year, declining in subsequent years.
“Purchasing the property itself will not cause people’s taxes to skyrocket,” said Inglis.