Council advances lease discussion to house Station 4 at Henshaw Street; seeks neighborhood conditions

WOBURN — The City Council discussed a plan to lease space at 4F Henshaw Street from Cummings Properties to temporarily house Fire Station No. 4's engine and possibly a daytime ambulance while the city rebuilds the permanent station.

Mayor Conkenna told the council Cummings offered to modify a bay at 4F Henshaw and lease it to the city for $5,900 a month for 18 months. The company would also absorb build-out costs estimated at $62,000, Conkenna said; utilities for the temporary site would be largely covered because Station 4 would be taken offline during construction.

Councilors and the fire chief said the lease would keep apparatus and crews physically closer to East Woburn than the alternative plan — relocating crews to headquarters — and would likely preserve faster response times. The chief said the build-out could take roughly 45 days once authorized and that crews would be trained on neighborhood routing and safety before occupying the site.

Why it matters: Council members and residents said response times and neighborhood safety are the governing priorities. Supporters argued stationing an engine in East Woburn preserves emergency coverage during construction. Opponents and nearby residents warned about narrow streets, lack of sidewalks on Erie Street, and potential traffic impacts when large apparatus enter and exit the property.

Public comment: Neighbors said Erie Street is narrow and lacks sidewalks and that heavy trucks and delivery vehicles already use the block. Maria Hanford, who said she lives at 3 Erie Street, told the council the street is “congested” and “very, very tight.” Another neighbor at 24 Erie Street asked whether alternate Cummings-owned sites had been considered; staff said the Henshaw building was a serendipitous offer and that the headquarters relocation had been the planned fallback.

Operations and pilot ambulance: The chief said the primary plan is to station one engine at Henshaw 24/7. Cummings offered space that could also host a pilot program for a third ambulance during daytime business hours; that ambulance would operate Monday–Friday to test whether daytime placement improves medical response. Council members emphasized any ambulance placement would be temporary and subject to further review.

Financing: City staff said the monthly rent could be covered by ambulance receipts where sufficient or from the Station 4 capital/building budget; council members asked the city auditor to provide recent transfer history of ambulance receipts so the council could confirm funding options.

Council action: After discussion about neighborhood mitigations and training, a motion to send the lease back to committee for action with draft condition language passed (voice vote: “Aye,” motion carries). Councilors asked staff and the chief to work with the neighborhood and return with specific conditions and a proposed neighborhood safety plan.

Next steps: Councilors agreed to ask the chief and staff to meet with neighbors, finalize route/training plans, and bring written condition language back to committee so the matter can be considered promptly without delaying Station 4's construction schedule.