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Public hearing opens on East Clinton Fire District’s proposed 11,000‑sq‑ft firehouse amid historic‑site and archaeology concerns
Summary
The board opened a public hearing on a proposed new East Clinton Fire District firehouse that would replace the existing station; engineers described an ~11,000‑sq‑ft single‑story building with five bays and about 65 parking spaces, while residents and the Clinton Historical Society raised concerns about lighting, screening, parking, the nearby Creek Meeting House and cemetery, and ongoing SHPO archaeology review; the hearing remains open and the board asked for updated plans showing the meeting house and cemetery.
The Clinton Planning Board opened a public hearing on the East Clinton Fire District’s proposed new firehouse and heard extensive public comment about siting, historic preservation and archaeological review.
Joseph Berger of Berger Engineering and architect Mike McCormick described an approximately 11,000‑square‑foot, single‑story steel building with five equipment bays. Berger said the design includes a circular access drive, stormwater infiltration basins and roughly 65 parking spaces (49 active, 19 in reserve). “We’re proposing a new firehouse for the East Clinton Fire District,” Berger said, describing reuse of an existing well and a subsurface septic system for sanitary sewage.
Several residents and interest groups requested more detail and mitigation measures. Cynthia Cook, president of the Clinton Historical Society, said she could not find the Creek Meeting House and its graveyard on the plan and asked for clearer mapping and lighting/screening measures to protect the historic stone meeting house and the cemetery on the National Register. “I had very much hoped to see how this plan is going to mitigate any impact whatsoever on the Creek Meeting House,” Cook said. Other commenters urged staking the building corners on site, additional evergreen screening and limits on lighting and parking impacts.
Applicants said they have engaged an archaeologist (Hartshood/Hartskin) and have performed phase‑1 and ground‑penetrating radar work; a draft archaeologist report will be submitted to the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and shared with the town when finalized. Board members asked the applicant to post a plan showing the Creek Meeting House and cemetery on the site drawings; the board left the public hearing open and scheduled additional review (tentatively Dec. 17) so applicants can provide revised plans and the SHPO report.
No final approvals or waivers were adopted tonight; board members discussed that the fire district may request waivers related to lot coverage and bulk rules and noted wetland buffer clarifications may be necessary in future submissions.
