Plympton Plans $14M Fire Station to Replace 50-Year-Old Facility

New station aims to address safety concerns, space constraints, and modernize equipment storage with construction potentially starting this summer

PLYMPTON - April 24 - Plympton officials present plans for a new $14 million fire station to replace the current 50-year-old facility that has outgrown its usefulness and poses safety concerns for firefighters.

The Town Properties Committee, led by Chair Jon Wilhelmsen, detailed the project at a recent public meeting, explaining why the new station is necessary and what it will cost taxpayers.

"Our current station is 50 years old. It's done a great job, and I think it's done another great job yet again because it's done so much more than it was ever designed for," Wilhelmsen says. "It was designed for a call fire department, full stop, not EMS, and certainly not for the type of equipment that we have today."

The existing station suffers from severe space constraints, with vehicles parked so tightly that there's only about a foot and a half of space in front of the doors. This creates dangerous conditions for firefighters moving around the apparatus.

"The way that we're set up, we have doors that are very narrow for the vehicles to get out of, all sorts of crush points that could happen if someone is in the wrong spot at the wrong time as vehicles are backing in," Wilhelmsen explains.

Modern fire equipment has grown significantly larger over the decades. The committee displayed images comparing engines from the 1950s to today's much larger vehicles, noting that the department's newest ambulance is six feet longer than its predecessor.

The space limitations are so severe that the department must store equipment in four different buildings across three locations, including containers and trailers at the transfer station.

The new 14,285-square-foot station will be located behind the police station and includes an apparatus bay large enough for all vehicles, proper decontamination areas, administrative space, and community areas.

"This allows for them to come in from a fire, be able to take their gear off, be able to utilize it with gear washers and dryers, be able to decontaminate in the showers that are in here before they ever get back into the other space," Wilhelmsen says of the decontamination area.

The design separates "hot zones" where contaminated gear is stored from "cold zones" where administrative and public functions take place. The current station has no such separation, forcing firefighters to take contaminated clothing home.

The project received eight bids, with the lowest responsible bid coming in at $11.145 million, nearly $2 million under the estimated cost. Owner's Project Manager Dan Pallotta attributes this to a favorable bidding climate.

"If you look at the cost of fire stations and Google it, all throughout the Commonwealth, you might find a substation, which is subsidiary to a headquarters. You might find one that's a little less than this, but you're not going to find a headquarters less than the cost of this project," Pallotta says.

The total project cost of $14.285 million includes construction, architect and project management fees, furniture, fixtures, equipment, and contingency funds. The town plans to bond about $14 million over 30 years at an estimated 4.5% interest rate.

For taxpayers, this translates to approximately 88 cents per $1,000 of property valuation annually. For the average Plympton tax bill of nearly $8,500, this means about $468 annually or $117 quarterly.

To help offset costs, the town plans to supplement $100,000 annually from capital stabilization funds. Additionally, two existing debt schedules will be rolling off in the next two years, which will lower the tax burden before this new debt is added.

The committee considered renovating the existing station but determined it would be more expensive and impractical. A temporary station during renovation could cost $2-3 million alone, and the existing site doesn't have enough space for an expanded building without relocating the ball field.

"From a cost-efficiency standpoint, renovation is not an option to continue to use this as a fire facility for the next 50 years," Wilhelmsen says.

One resident emphasized that the project is about more than just a building. "My concern is the safety of these men back here. I have firefighters in my family, and I know what they go through. And I think we need to seriously consider their safety," she said. "These are our friends. These are our neighbors. They live on our street. They live in our town. We need to protect them."

The project requires approval at the annual town meeting on May 14, followed by a debt exclusion vote at the town election on May 17. If approved, construction would begin this summer and take approximately 18 months to complete.

The committee plans to repurpose the existing fire station as a community center or senior center after the new station is completed.

Full presentation available via Area 58.