Zoners
getting fire HQ 1st look
$7m
Stratford proposal hounded by disputes
By STEVEN
SCARPA
Friday,
August 09, 2002 - STRATFORD
-- Long-awaited plans to build a $7 million fire
headquarters will be unveiled at a Zoning Commission
meeting in two weeks.
Construction
of a larger, centrally located Fire Department main
station has been the goal of officials for more than a
decade.
The
proposal, however, became mired by disputes over whether
the headquarters should include space for the Emergency
Medical Service. This latest proposal does not appear to
allot space for EMS.
The
application for the new fire headquarters, proposed for
2704-2760 Main St., will be reviewed at a public hearing
set for 7 p.m. Aug. 20 in Town Hall.
The new
building will be built on a site adjacent to the existing
headquarters, directly across Main Street from Town Hall.
Early cost
estimates for the project are approximately $7 million,
although officials hope that number will be lower when
construction bids are received.
The proposed
26,000-square-foot, two-story headquarters will have
firefighter accommodations on the same floor as
firetrucks
so the
traditional pole between floors will not be necessary.
"The
whole concept is to keep the firefighters with quick
access to their apparatus," said Town Planner Dave
Killeen.
Under
current plans, the existing fire station would be used
for storage, Killeen added. He said no long-term plans
have been formulated for that building.
Town Manager
Michael Feeney said the existing fire headquarters is
"insufficient to meet our daily needs." Living
quarters at the station are substandard and structural
problems are developing, he said.
Killeen said
the new headquarters would not only be a state-of-the-art
fire facility, it is designed to mesh with the character
of the area. It reflects Town Hall's architectural style,
featuring a cupola and brick faade. "It has very
traditional elements to it," he said.
Killeen said
the Planning Commission has already signed off on the
plans. He anticipates the only major concern for the
Zoning Commission may be increasing the amount of parking
on the site.
Steven
Scarpa, who covers Stratford, can be reached at 330-6287.
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