121 Main St. property eyed for future Northfield Fire Station

The Northfield Fire Station at 93 Main St.

The Northfield Fire Station at 93 Main St. STAFF FILE PHOTO

A rough sketch of a new Fire Station at the 121 Main St. location in Northfield.

A rough sketch of a new Fire Station at the 121 Main St. location in Northfield. CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

By ADA DENENFELD KELLY

For the Recorder

Published: 01-21-2025 11:57 AM

NORTHFIELD — After voters shot down a proposal for a public safety complex in May 2023 due to concerns about the burden on taxpayers and wetlands encroachment, the Emergency Services Facility Committee is evaluating plans for a facility on the same property that would only house the Fire Department.

The Emergency Services Facility Committee planned to build the public safety complex at 121 Main St., a nearly 27-acre property purchased by the town for the project and for recreational trails. Prior to bringing the issue to voters, the committee created detailed plans for the facility with architects and engineers.

Because the site is already owned by the town and has been evaluated for viability, Fire Chief Floyd “Skip” Dunnell III said he thinks it is a good option for the location of a new Fire Station, which can be smaller and less costly without the inclusion of EMS and police facilities.

However, a new facility would need to avoid the perennial stream on the property. A corner of the planned public safety complex encroached on the 100-foot wetlands buffer, which Dunnell believes is one of the reasons why the measure was voted down.

The Northfield Fire Department is currently “jam-packed” at the Fire Station at 93 Main St., according to Dunnell. The department’s trucks have to be custom-built to fit the station and the apparatus room can no longer hold most of the department’s equipment. To make do with the limited space, the firefighters need to do things like wash their turnout gear in the kitchen, which poses a contamination risk, Dunnell said.

“We made do over a long period of time, but we need a better facility to work out of to keep our firefighters safe,” he said.

The Emergency Services Facility Committee is also considering the possibility of building the new Fire Station behind the existing station. However, according to Dunnell, land is limited and the committee was advised not to connect a new project with the old building. After mapping out a sketch of a potential new facility, the committee found that one corner of a new structure would end up in a wetlands zone. Additionally, the site formerly housed a high school that burned down in 1902, according to Greenfield Recorder archives, and soil tests revealed debris that would be expensive to remove, according to Dunnell.

Because of these issues, Dunnell said the property behind the existing station “[isn’t] as viable a location as we were hoping for.”

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Emergency Services Facility Committee member Steve Seredynski presented a rough sketch of a new Fire Station on the 121 Main St. location at the most recent committee meeting earlier this month.

“The entire south section [of the public safety complex plan] has been eliminated, 90% of the east section has been eliminated and 80% of the west complex is now eliminated,” Seredynski said. He said the plan has been scaled down to roughly 7,000 square feet and he thinks a facility of that size won’t encroach on the 100-foot wetlands buffer.

Northfield resident and retired architect John Bezzant volunteered to look over the sketch and map it out on the land.

For now, Dunnell plans to consult with the firefighters about the two options.

“It really has to be the motivation of the Fire Department, the motivation and the need,” Selectboard member Barbara “Bee” Jacque said. “If they feel like this is a viable thing to pursue, I’ll be totally gung ho, but if they’re wishy-washy on either thing or there’s more consternation about trying to fit stuff onto the current site, then I’m less enthused about the amount of energy to invest.”