WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The community came together to officially start a construction project, over a decade in the making, that will provide a safer, cleaner future for the town.
"What an amazing day today is for Williamstown," Prudential Committee Chairman Dave Moresi said Wednesday during the ceremony. "As a community, we should be proud to witness the groundbreaking of a new state-of-the-art fire station, ensuring that life and property continue to be protected to the highest and best of abilities."
The newly constructed 22,000 square foot facility will be built on Main Street, replacing the aging station on Water Street.
Chief Craig Pedercini said he first brought the idea to the Prudential Committee some 18 years ago. At that time, the Water Street Station was 56 years old. He said even 18 years ago, the department had outgrown the facility that could not keep up with modern fire fighting needs.
"Over the next couple of years, the progress began. Fast forward to today, we stick our shovels in the ground and move forward towards building a state of our fire station for the firefighters of this community," he said.
He said the new facility will have space to operate all of the department's vehicles and equipment safely. He said the new station will have an area to decontaminate gear as well as office, meeting, and training space. He was also happy to say the new facility will have plenty of parking.
Speaker State Rep. John Barrett III agreed that the project had been in the works for some time joking that some of the now Prudential Committee members he went to grade school with were talking about it then.
He added that the town should be proud to be able to make such improvements while maintaining solid financial ground.
"The town should be very proud. Proud of not only the fire department…but also as a community," he said. "You have a new police station, you're going to have a new fire station. I can't tell you how many communities around the state of Massachusetts would like to be in this position today. And you're in good financial condition after it happens."
In 2023 a special fire district meeting authorized the town to use $22.5 to complete the project. Through a series of meetings, working with the contractor Consigli Construction, the Prudential Committee locked in a guaranteed maximum price of $17.9 million.
Chairperson of the select board Jane Patton said the project also furthers the town's goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions in line with its police station and middle school.
"It's been designed with an eye on the future. It's meant to operate with Net Zero carbon and to be adaptable to the changing needs of small fire departments," she said. "This is no small feat, and it's not for the faint of heart. This is a big deal to commit to this and to make it happen in this fashion. It makes me very proud to be a member of this community."
Moresi closed his portion of the ceremony by thanking the firefighters past and those present who will use the new fire station.
"The men and women are the heroes of our community. Always there to answer the call. This station is about a safe and healthy working environment for them," he said. "To allow them to serve our community to the best of their abilities for many years to come."
The project is estimated to be completed in late 2025/early 2026.
Williamstown.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
Comments are closed for this blog. If you would like to contribute information on this blog, e-mail us at info@iBerkshires.com
MEMBER SIGN IN
