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08/11/2015 03:30 PMDeep River continues to move forward in finding an acceptable solution to the present too-small fire house dilemma. At a recent joint Board of Selectman and Board of Finance meeting, architect Tom Gribbin presented some preliminary plans to the boards.
To date, the only concrete decision about what will be the new Fire Department headquarters in town is that the new structure will be built on the current firehouse property at Union and Elm streets and make use of the adjacent property that is owned by the fire house. There has also been a decision that the structure will be approximately 10,000 square feet.
According to First Selectman Dick Smith, this size will be large enough to house the necessary fire trucks, equipment, office areas and ambulance.
The next step is to figure out what kind of material will be used to construct the building. Right now, town officials are exploring costs estimates for both brick and wood structures. According to Gribbin, wood would be more cost effective upfront, however concrete masonry would be more durable and require less maintenance over the years.
Smith explained that a professional estimator will be getting back to the town soon with more specific cost estimates, which will take the project to the next step.
“Although everything about the new fire house is not solidified yet, this is the closest we have ever been on getting this project going,” said Smith. “There are still a lot of unknowns at this point, but we do know where the Fire Department will be, and how big it will be, so we are moving forward. The next big question we are working on getting answered is cost.”
Gribbin explained that right now his company is still in the preliminary stages of designing the new structure, so a rendering is not yet available.
“Everything is still very conceptual,” said Gribbin, who estimates that once the plans are completely solidified, it should take approximately 12 months to build the new structure.
“The purpose of our last presentation to the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance was to illustrate the feasibility of a 10,000 square foot building, in that area of town it will be housed, and to give some perspective on how it will affect the streetscape in that residential neighborhood,” said Gribbin.
This issue will be discussed further at the upcoming Board of Selectman meeting, which will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 25, at 6:30 p.m. at the Town Hall.