NORTHFIELD — As the new four-town inter-municipal agreement officially kicks into effect at the turn of the fiscal year, Northfield EMS will be installing a temporary structure at its 41 Main St. space to accommodate staff.

The Selectboard approved Northfield EMS Chief Matt Wolkenbreit’s $55,113 request to fund the installation, permitting and leasing of a temporary housing structure for staff. The vendor Northfield is working with will cover the installation and any permitting required for the project, and the rest of the money will cover rent through Jan. 1.

“We are at a point where all four communities — Northfield, Bernardston, Erving and Gill — have all signed the [inter-municipal agreement] and have all signed on with us as their provider for EMS,” Wolkenbreit said during Tuesday’s meeting. “To meet our obligations to them, we also need to meet the needs as an employer of the staff, to include things like laundry, sleeping quarters, kitchen, bathroom, shower, basic necessities, so the crew has a compliant and comfortable-ish space to meet their needs.”

Funding will come from the Emergency Services Building Account, which has approximately $350,000 in it. The Emergency Services Facility Committee approved moving forward with the plan.

The request for the temporary building, which will be roughly 700 square feet, comes as the new agreement structure is building up to 24/7 EMS coverage for the four towns, which will require some sort of space for EMTs to rest in between calls, Wolkenbreit said. He added that while Northfield EMS has already been providing this service, the agreement “formalizes the structure and the scope” of the agency’s responsibilities.

It also comes as the town continues to try to find a new home for Northfield EMS. Earlier this year, it looked like the ambulance service was going to be moving to the Valley Concrete & Construction facility in Bernardston, but the company pulled the offer after the town was unable to reach a purchase-and-sale agreement deadline. Residents had given Special Town Meeting approval in 2024 to purchase and outfit the facility for public safety uses for $2.1 million.

“One of the objectives we have to accomplish in order to provide this service is to have housing for the staff, which is what the Valley Concrete purchase was going to provide” Wolkenbreit said in a phone interview Wednesday. “This structure is what we’re able to come up with as a temporary solution to bridge the gap, so we can continue to operate out of the current location.”

Wolkenbreit explained the structure will be a mobile home-style trailer with two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, laundry utilities, a bathroom and a shower.

The Selectboard also approved Tuesday evening a new lease with Sandri Energy for use of the 41 Main St. building. The town will pay $950 per month, as well as reimburse property taxes, to house Northfield EMS there, according to Town Administrator Andrea Llamas.

Wolkenbreit said Northfield EMS should have its temporary structure ready to go by mid to late July.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.