COHASSET — Oct. 13, 2026 — Cohasset’s Public Safety Facilities Committee told the Select Board last Tuesday it wants to renovate the Elm Street building for the fire department’s full use, working from a year-old $7.5 million estimate, starting no earlier than winter 2029 and paying for the work in phases without a tax override.
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Glenn Pratt, Chair of the Public Safety Facilities Committee, said architects worked room by room with the fire chief, firefighters and officers on a plan that would first upgrade mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems that are 63 years old. It would add dormitory space, training and decontamination areas, a public emergency triage area, room for community services and a larger garage so fire vehicles now kept offsite or outside can come indoors.
Construction cannot begin until police move out of the building, Pratt said, and the earliest start would be winter 2029. The work would likely stretch over five years, and the building must stay fully operational around the clock, which could bring additional costs not yet known.
The $7.5 million figure comes from estimates prepared a year ago when a full renovation was under study. The committee said it is working with Town Manager Michelle Leary and the Capital Budget Committee on a long-term plan so the project can be done in phases without a tax override, with options including free cash and annual capital budget money, and expects to return with general numbers within the next few weeks or a month. When the plan was restated for viewers as needing no override or debt exclusion, the reply was that this is the goal.
Fire Chief John Dockray told the board the station has no space to treat someone who walks in with a medical emergency away from the area where crews meet the public, write reports and answer phones.
Ellen Maher urged the committee to adjust the estimate for inflation to the expected start date, noting how 3% compounding adds up by 2029.
I would just err on the side of caution and make sure that we’re not going to have a number we can’t finance the way we want to finance it because it’s too big.
— Ellen Maher, Select Board 52:23
Members tied the fire plan to the police station. Will Ashton said it would help answer questions about other projects when the police station goes to town meeting. Paul Grady said the fire station cannot happen unless the police station passes, and urged that the plan be as fully developed as possible going into town meeting and the special election.
During the town manager’s comments segment, the board was told free cash was certified at a little over $3.3 million, leaving a free cash position of $3,078,000 after obligations in the Special Town Meeting warrant, money expected to help support long-range planning, including Elm Street.
