HUDSON – Fire Chief Bryan Johannes is calling for renovations to the Hudson Fire Department headquarters and Fire Station 1.
“At some point, I am going to retire from the fire department. I just want to leave it in a condition better than when I found it,” Johannes said.
Johannes presented a feasibility study of the fire headquarters and Fire Station 1 to the Select Board on Sept. 26.
The headquarters renovations will cost about $1.3 million and have been added to the Town Meeting warrant for Nov. 21, according to Executive Assistant Thomas Gregory.
Issues with the fire headquarters and Station 1
The Hudson Fire Department headquarters, which is located on Cox Street, was built in 2005.
However, Johannes said there were “some issues with the initial construction of the building.”
According to Johannes, one of the issues with the headquarters is that the roof has deteriorated over the apparatus bay and isn’t able to prevent the rain. Johannes also said the floor is cracked, and door operators have “fallen into a state of disrepair” and “never seal properly.”
Fire Station 1 was built in 1896 and is located on Washington Street. While it has undergone many renovations, Johannes said the station is not “up to code.”
Select Board Chair Scott Duplisea said he is concerned about the state of the headquarters and Station 1. He said he is glad Johannes is advocating for the repairs.
Duplisea asked if Station 1 is serviceable. Tony DiLuzio, who is the Senior Project Manager of Colliers which is the firm that completed the study, said it called for “more of the deferred maintenance repairs” and does not call for the station to be restructured.
Select Board member Judy Congdon, who previously served as a lieutenant for the Hudson Fire Department, proposed that Station 1 undergo a structural survey prior to renovations. This way, the town would not spend money on renovations if the building is not structurally sound, she said.
What is before Town Meeting
Specifically, the town is requesting Town Meeting authorization to borrow and appropriate $1.12 million for the design services, repairs and renovations for the Hudson Fire Department headquarters.
According to Gregory, Hudson had about $6 million in free cash last fiscal year. However, the town did not spend all of it, and Gregory projected that “some will roll over” into this fiscal year.
“There may be a higher than typical free cash availability to direct towards Station 1. It won’t cover the $1.3 [to repair the headquarters] but we may be able to use a significant amount of cash toward that effort,” he said.
Leading up to Town Meeting, Johannes said he would collaborate with Gregory to “revise” the reconstruction plans for Station 1, which he said must undergo a structural analysis.
“Hopefully we will come back to Town Meeting in May to try and address some of the issues associated with Station 1,” Johannes said.
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