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Editorial: Time to Agree on Firestation

Instead of building a stand-alone fire station, we have argued that significant long-term savings would be realized by building an integrated public safety campus, thus allowing sharing of resources between police and fire departments. We still believe this to be true. Nevertheless, we understand that Selectmen are simply not going to explore this option.

Consequently, we believe it would be better for the town to proceed with the new fire station as planned rather than continuing to battle what has become a divisive issue, and, in the end, see another proposal go down to defeat. It is time for compromise and to move forward in the best interests of the town. Therefore, in the paragraphs below, we make the argument for building the station essentially as proposed by addressing the objections that we and others have made.

1. The Fire Station is too expensive.

Yes, it is true that it is very expensive. It is hard to understand how it could be so expensive. Yet there are reasons for the high cost that are beyond the control of the town. First, it is important to remember that all municipal projects in Massachusetts must pay 'prevailing wage'. It is estimated that prevailing wage adds at least 20% to the cost of a project. Prevailing wage is established by the Commonwealth and cannot be danced around or avoided. So, if the total project cost is $7,500,000, it would cost us 20% less or about $6,000,000 if we did not need to pay this mandated wage/benefit rate.

2. The Fire Station is still too expensive.

Since we are building on Farmers Row, it is generally agreed that the building must fit into an historic district and should not be a simple box. This would be true anywhere else in town, too. It is estimated that the additional design and construction costs add about 20% to the price. So, if we subtract another 20% for the full construction cost [about $1,500,000] from the construction cost, we are now looking at a project cost of $4,500,000.

3. The cost still seems high - what about the 'amenities'.

It is true that these 'amenities' add to the cost, but it is estimated that if every single one of these so-called amenities were removed from the project, the savings would come to about $500,000. Does it really make sense to delete what amounts to fairly 'small potatoes' in such a large project, especially when many independent fire fighting professionals say that they are not frills?

4. The building is just too darn big. It's overwhelming.

It is true that it is huge. But because it is being sited on a large piece of land, it can be spread out over a large footprint, thus lowering its profile compared to building on any of the other sites near the center, which would require a second story. After trees and shrubbery have grown up, the building will be much less visually intrusive than it would be in any of the other locations that were considered.

5. The building will be costly to maintain and operate.

Such a building is expensive to heat and maintain. Any fire station is high maintenance. However, it is also a fact that the town receives substantial revenue in ambulance fees for EMT services-approximately a quarter of a million dollars annually. It could be said that providing some ambulance services-not all that EMTs do, but a significant part of their activities--is a business, unlike police or fire services. Therefore, in a sense, we are investing in a revenue-producing asset.

6. Nothing should be built on this beautiful meadow.

We all love this beautiful open field. But, we need to consider that it is privately owned and is not going to remain undeveloped much longer, there being plans to build houses on the site. Additionally, the town was able to acquire the land without going through the eminent domain process. Finally, almost half the land in Groton is protected in one form or another, so it is not as if we have shirked our duty to be responsible protectors of the environment. We can trust the Fire Station relocation committee's determination that this is the best site in town for a fire station, and we voted for it by a two-thirds majority at Annual Town Meeting last spring.

For all these reasons, we believe it is time to accept that the Fire Station plan, if not everybody's idea of optimum, is a reasonable plan, even a good one. It is time for the town to come together to support it.

Groton Herald

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