New Fire Station at 10 Prospect Street
At a glance
- What: construction of a new fire station at 10 Prospect St (groundbreaking June 4, 2026).
- Where it stands: a National Grid easement was tabled by the Select Board (Oct 13 agenda).
- Construction (Oct 13): structural steel began September 21 and should finish by October 30; the building is on schedule to be enclosed before snow. Payment requisition 5 ($2,542,612.93, about 30% billed) approved. Contingency, owner's contingency and tariff allowance combined: $4,274,751.33 before the lift change order.
- Open change orders: Fire Station Maintenance Bay Vehicle Lift Change Order (up to $530,000 approved), Fire Station Utility Pole Relocation and Underground Option, Fire Station Emergency Signal Preemption System.
- Money: the Special Town Meeting amended budget includes $534,680 of interest on the bond anticipation note.
- Related: Special Town Meeting - October 27, 2026, Anne Cavanaugh, Stephen Coleman.
Money
- $14 million borrowed in June 2026; the contractor's cash-flow schedule arrived in July and set the interest amount.
- Staff said the project came in $2.5 million under budget, and the annual tax impact will be below what was advertised before the vote. The Article 2 interest line adds an estimated $70 to $75 to the average single-family bill (staff estimate).
- See Amended FY27 Budget.
Discussion time
About 22 minutes across 2 meetings (from transcript timestamps; approximate).
| Meeting | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-13 - Select Board | 1 |
| 2026-10-13 - Fire Station Building Committee | 21 |
Log
- 2026-10-19 - Pre-Town Meeting - Article 2 questions: interest rose from a $75,000 placeholder to about $534,680 after the $14 million June borrowing; staff said the project came in $2.5 million under budget, so interest and annual taxpayer cost are lower than advertised.
- 2026-10-13 - Fire Station Building Committee - Construction update (steel, slabs, drainage, on schedule); contingency balance $4.27 million; approved requisition 5 ($2,542,612.93) and a lift change order up to $530,000; pole and signal-system costs still pending; discussion of treating the tariff allowance separately.
- 2026-10-13 - Select Board - Removed the National Grid easement from the table and authorized signing it (moves a pole in front of the bay doors).
- 2026-10-21 - Page created from public town materials and news coverage (retrieved 2026-10-21); no meeting transcript processed yet.
- 2026-09-23 - Finance Committee - Finance Committee heard that interest on the $14 million bond anticipation note (6%) is within the debt exclusion and similar interest is expected next year; about $9 million more will be borrowed.
- 2026-09-15 - Fire Station Building Committee - Approved change order two ($264,945.92: second ledge removal plus grading and a walkway next to the Dunkin' lot) and pay requisition four ($1,041,954.37); steel erection to begin; project about 15 to 20 percent complete and reported about $4.2 million under budget.
- 2026-08-20 - Sewer Commissioners - Staff still seeking sewer easements from Home Depot and the owner of 39 Prospect Street (from auto-captions).
- 2026-08-11 - Fire Station Building Committee - Footings and foundation walls under way, steel still expected in September; approved change order one ($132,433.75, ledge removal net of a hydrant credit) and requisition three ($970,158.73) (from auto-captions).