Lakeville Planning Board approves 6‑bay fire station site plan at 28 Precinct Street

The Lakeville Planning Board voted unanimously on Sept. 4 to approve a site plan for a 17,040‑square‑foot, six‑bay fire station at 28 Precinct Street, with a revised condition allowing the building commissioner to authorize occasional exterior work outside the board's standard hours.

The change amends a standard condition governing construction hours (condition 7) to add the phrase “unless determined appropriate and or necessary by the building commissioner,” language requested by the project engineer to permit limited, formally approved exceptions for tasks such as final close‑out work or emergency snow removal.

Spencer of Parr Corporation, the project engineer, told the board the design and bid documents already set typical working hours but asked the board to retain the ability for the town to grant a formal, case‑by‑case exception. “We just wanted to potentially add a clarifier at the end of this condition that just says, unless determined appropriate and or necessary by the building commissioner,” Spencer said. He said the request was intended for rare circumstances — for example, finishing work before a ribbon cutting or addressing a site emergency.

Board members discussed community impacts tied to weekends and evenings because the site is adjacent to active recreation fields. Jack, a planning board member, cautioned about weekend activity and recommended limits on start and end times: “I wouldn't want to start more than 07:30 in the morning, and I don't think we should go beyond 07:30 at night,” he said. Several members agreed the condition should apply only to exterior/site work reviewed under site‑plan approval, not to interior activity within the new building.

Spencer and others clarified responsibility for job‑site safety and property repair. The project documents and the town's construction specifications make the contractor responsible for job‑site safety; the board noted that, as owner, the Town of Lakeville ultimately holds the contract with the general contractor and would enforce those obligations. The site plan application as submitted by Andrew Soupforth on behalf of the Town of Lakeville includes on‑site parking, a stormwater management system, utility connections and a Title 5 system.

The board closed the public hearing and then approved the site plan with the agreed change to condition 7. Roll‑call voting on the approval was unanimous. The board and project team discussed notifying the town when a contractor requests an exception so police details or other coordination could be arranged when needed.

The planning board also confirmed its next meeting for Thursday, Sept. 11, at 6:30 p.m. at the police station.