Officials Considering Alternate Firehouse Location

By Andrew Gorosko

The first selectman has been having talks with Newtown Hook & Ladder fire officials about a potential alternate — and very familiar — location for new a firehouse, other than the volunteer fire company’s proposal for a new firehouse at 12 Sugar Street (Route 302).

Those talks have focused on possibly using town-owned land at 45 Main Street, near the existing Hook & Ladder firehouse, as the site for new facilities. The fire company’s current quarters consist of an aging, deteriorated town-owned firehouse positioned behind Edmond Town Hall at 45 Main Street.

The Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) and the Borough Zoning Commission (BZC) recently rejected the fire company’s applications for a wetlands/watercourses protection permit and for a zoning permit for the 12 Sugar Street site, respectively.

In response, the fire company has filed court appeals against both agencies in seeking to overturn those permit rejections. Both appeals are pending in court. Both permit applications drew strong opposition from nearby residents for a variety of reasons.

First Selectman Pat Llodra said this week she has conducted two meetings with Hook & Ladder officials in recent weeks in seeking a possible alternate location for a new Hook & Ladder firehouse, with the focus being on using the municipally-owned 45 Main Street site.

Considering that the two land use agencies have rejected using the 12 Sugar Street site for a firehouse, constructing fire facilities there may not be achievable, Mrs Llodra said.

Although Hook & Ladder officials have said they will not drop their two pending court appeals, they are willing to discuss possible alternate locations for a new firehouse, Mrs Llodra said. Such talks are at an early stage, she stressed.

Mrs Llodra said she has informed the Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers about the talks between herself and Hook & Ladder on possibly using the 45 Main Street site for a new firehouse. That board oversees the operation of the adjacent Edmond Town Hall.

The lack of suitable fire facilities for Hook & Ladder needs to be resolved, Mrs Llodra said. The fire company has repeatedly attempted to get new facilities during the past 25 years, exploring many different locations for a new firehouse.

Although there could be other alternate sites for a Hook & Ladder firehouse, only the 45 Main Street site has been discussed so far, Mrs Llodra said. Constructing a new firehouse there could also involve improving public parking facilities in that area, she said.

Mrs Llodra acknowledged that Hook & Ladder has spent much time and money in formulating its firehouse proposal for 12 Sugar Street.

The fire company has proposed constructing an 11,414-square-foot firehouse there on a one-acre section of a wet 9.4-acre site. Under that proposal, the Borough of Newtown Land Trust, Inc, and the R. Scudder Smith Family Partnership would donate land for the project. Mr Smith is the owner/publisher of The Newtown Bee.

If the fire company secures all required approvals for the project, then the Smith Partnership and the Borough Land Trust would transfer the real estate to the fire company at no cost for the purpose of constructing and operating a fire station there.

It is unclear if the firehouse design that has been proposed for the Sugar Street site could be used at 45 Main Street, Mrs Llodra said.

If the 45 Main Street site proves unworkable for new fire facilities, then other locations might be considered, she said. Many technical questions remain on whether the 45 Main Street site would be a practical place for a new firehouse, she said. “There’s lots of issues to be resolved,” she said.

Town officials have agreed to designate $1.5 million in capital spending toward the overall cost of a new Hook & Ladder firehouse.

The town has five volunteer fire companies. Hook & Ladder is the only fire company that operates out of a town-owned firehouse.

Mrs Llodra said she plans to meet with officials from Hook & Ladder, the Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers, and land use officials to further discuss the prospects of using 45 Main Street as an alternate site for a new firehouse.

Rick Camejo, president of Hook & Ladder, has participated in the talks with Mrs Llodra, and said he looks forward to having more talks.

He said that it is important for the fire company to have its firehouse in the center of town to serve the fire protection needs of the borough. “We want to maintain a presence in the center of town,” he said.

Asked whether the town-owned Fairfield Hills campus would hold a suitable site for a new firehouse, Mr Camejo said Hook & Ladder firefighters do not want a firehouse there which lies outside the borough. “Fairfield Hills is not an option for us,” he said.

Constructing a new firehouse at the 45 Main Street site might be the next best location for fire facilities if the 12 Sugar Street site proves unworkable, he said.

Mr Camejo noted, however, that the fire company has expended much time, effort, and money in pursuing the Sugar Street firehouse proposal.