WORCESTER, MA—City councilors voiced strong support Tuesday night for a provision in City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr.'s $721.8 million fiscal 2021 budget recommendation to set $1.5 million aside to start the process to replace the South Division fire station on Southbridge Street.
Augustus said city officials have been talking about replacing the station, which is the busiest one in the Fire Department, for three or four years.
But he said building replacement projects for two high schools—South High Community and Doherty Memorial—have made it difficult to also set aside funding for a new South Division station.
He said the station, which was built in 1950, has issues with its foundation. Councilors said it has also been plagued with sewage, air quality and other workplace safety issues.
"We are always juggling trying to figure out how to fund these priorities," Augustus told the City Council. "But we are at the point now where we need to start the process (for a new fire station). I don't think we will be able to get many more years out of the existing station.
"We're hopeful we can get the new fire station before we get to a crisis point with the existing building, especially if we start now," he continued. "If the City Council approves this $1.5 million as part of the overall budget, I will move forward with this process."
Preliminary estimates for the cost to build a new South Division station are 20 million to $25 million.
Augustus said he is setting aside $1.5 million in tax levy money in the capital campaign fund to serve as a starting point for the project. He said additional money would be set aside for the fire station project in subsequent years.
The manager said the $1.5 million could be used to acquire land if the city decides on a new site, or it could be used on design costs if the station is to be built on the current site.
Augustus said city officials have identified a couple of potential parcels near the existing station. But he added that the city has not yet approached the owners about them or actively pursued acquiring them.
He said the design for the new station cannot begin until a decision is made on a site.
The manager said nothing has been ruled out regarding a site. He said there is a disadvantage to building on the current site, however, because during construction the fire apparatus and personnel assigned to the station would have to be deployed elsewhere.
He said the fire equipment would have to remain in that part of the city so response times would not be compromised.
Augustus added that it may make more sense to build the new fire station elsewhere so the city could then sell the existing station property to a private developer.
He said the current South Division site could ultimately become a valuable location for development, and money generated by the sale of that land could then be used to help finance the construction of the new station.
"It could give us a chance to reimagine that part of the Southbridge Street corridor," Augustus said.
The fire station, at 180 Southbridge St., is a two-story, 12,418-square-foot brick and concrete building. Engine 2, Engine 13 and Ladder 3 are assigned there.
Several city councilors, as well as Michael Papagni, president of Local 1009, International Association of Fire Fighters, spoke in favor of the city manager's plan.
Councilor-at-Large Khrystian E. King said there are workplace safety issues at the station, and he urged the city to do everything it can to provide a safe work environment for firefighters at a new station.
Councilor-at-Large Kathleen M. Toomey, who chairs the council's Public Safety Committee, said she supports moving forward with the project as quickly as possible.
She said she is concerned about the public health of the firefighters now assigned to the station because one of the problems with it is the inadequate ventilation of exhaust fumes that build up inside from the running of the diesel trucks.
District 3 Councilor George J. Russell said it could be at least a few years before a new station is built. For that reason, he said he would like to see the city implement interim corrective measures to improve the building conditions for firefighters.
Augustus formally presented his fiscal 2021 budget recommendation to the City Council Tuesday night. The council referred the budget to its Finance Committee, which consists of all 11 city councilors, and it will begin holding budget hearings next week.
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