New Town Center Fire Station May Be Coming

Westford has one new fire station coming, and it might have another one coming into the planning stages soon.

The Board of Selectmen approved a request by Westford Fire Department chief Richard Rochon to allow the Permanent Town Building Committee investigate what might be needed for a study to replace the current Westford Fire Department headquarters in the town center.

Rochon and Lieutenant Mark Valcourt testified to the board on a variety of reasons why the building, which was built in 1975 as a replacement for the building that currently houses the Westford Historical Commission on Boston Road.

These reasons included a lack of garage room for newer fire vehicles, non-ADA compliance, a 30 square foot lobby, and a lack of decontamination areas for medical calls, in addition to other reasons.

The question of whether to keep the headquarters near the Town Center, including the current location, or whether to move the headquarters to another piece of town land or purchased land would be one item that would be addressed in a study.

A pricetag will also be something to be identified, with no exact cost yet available.

Rochon and Valcourt indicated that a likely cost might comparable to the $350 per square foot found in Chelmsford's new fire station, with an estimated size of approximately 25,000 square feet for a building footprint. 

No timeline was given for when recommendations would be brought back to the board from the Permanent Town Building Committee, but the timeline of the new satellite station in Parker Village was a topic of discussion.

Uncertainty arose between Rochon and the Selectmen on whether there was a deadline on when the new unmanned station, to be constructed from money obtained as part of approval for the new Cornerstone Square project, needed to be completed.

In regard to the two stations, Rochon indicated that he did not have a specific location preference for the headquarters, although he preferred that it remain in the Town Center while the satellite station be located in Parker Village.