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Board weighs timing and cost risks for Gloucester Main Street fire station project
Summary
Supervisors discussed a proposed new Main Street fire station, whether to build smaller, multiple stations instead, how complete the design is and when to borrow for construction; staff said design documents were nearing completion and bidding could occur within months.
Supervisors spent part of the session on a proposed new fire station on Main Street and potential alternatives, including building smaller, additional stations in strategic locations.
One supervisor urged the board to consider building two or three smaller stations instead of a single large $17 million project in Main Street, saying growth after the Coleman Bridge toll removal could require distributed coverage. Other supervisors and county staff said the fire department owns land at other locations and that volunteer availability, call volumes and station expandability factor into siting decisions.
County staff said the department—s design work was roughly 80 to 90 percent complete and that a site plan and bidding could be ready in three to six months. Several supervisors warned that incomplete designs make cost estimates uncertain and argued that final designs should be complete before borrowing large amounts. A citizen had circulated an estimate of $21 million; staff and a supervisor said that number appeared to include prior expenditures to acquire land and prepare drawings rather than the full new borrowing amount.
Ending: The board reiterated its previously stated support for funding the project but directed staff to continue refining design documents, cost estimates and debt-service timing before final financing steps.
