Can The Ambulance Corps Find Space At FFH?

By Kendra Bobowick

Number 77 Main Street poses problems for the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

The Newtown Ambulance Association, which serves as the corps’ board of trustees, faces decisions for space needs. Since the corps purchased a small house adjacent to the existing garage, plans for expansion could include its teardown and rebuild, said association President Bruce Herring this week, or they could look elsewhere, including Fairfield Hills.

Past months have found Mr Herring at meetings around town, beginning with the Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers. He had made an appeal for classroom and meeting space, and the corps now makes room in the historic building for its programming.

Emergency medical technician (EMT) classes could see between 15 and 20 participants, he said, and corps meetings might include as many as 50–60 people. The corps comprises as many as 70 volunteers, and the number, depending on the EMT graduates who join, could change, Mr Herring said.

While the corps’ relocation and search for space is still just a conversation and ultimately a decision the trustees will have to make, Mr Herring confirmed, “When we bought that house [next to 77 Main Street] it was our intent to have more room, more parking, enough space for classes, etc.” Mr Herring estimates that the corps needs roughly 10,000 square feet, most of which would be a six-bay garage, large meeting room and kitchen area, with comfortable sleeping space for the overnight volunteer staff.

“They often will stay over, and it’s not comfortable,” he said. The interior rooms have no windows, and often the staff will stay at home near their call radio rather than sleep at the garage.

Mr Herring next appeared before the Fairfield Hills Authority to ask its members about space. First Selectman Pat Llodra had encouraged his visit.

“We’re exploring our possibilities,” he said. Fairfield Hills holds an appeal. “It’s the new geographical center of town. Everything is moved that way,” he noted.

The facility would then be closer to Masonicare at Newtown on Toddy Hill Road, Nunnawauk Meadows, and Garner Correctional Institute, from which the corps receives frequent calls. It would also be closer to several schools and Interstate 84.

While Mr Herring and the full 13-member board of trustees need to have discussions, he said, “We are definitely ready to do something.” A ground lease is a “good bet,” he said, already sensing the first selectman’s support. Preferring a ground lease and constructing a new building, he said, “It’s a nice, clean site.”

He does not see any other suitable space in town. “I have looked!” he said. To rebuild on the current location would require the corps and equipment to relocate elsewhere while renovations take place. But, they could remain in their current location until new space is completed at Fairfield Hills, he said.

Before anything happens, the group will need to raise as much as $3 million. The Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps owns three ambulances, and is considering more vehicles, “down the road,” Mr Herring said.