Fire District No. 1 will hold a special district meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 9 at its Bridge Street station.On the docket is one item: to see if district voters will appropriate $7 million to renovate the station. 

The building housed the department since 1978 and Deputy Chief Jake Betterncourt has previously noted that “not a lot of upgrades have been done in the past 40 years.”

Plans have been in the works to improve the station for the past five years.

In 2020, district voters approved spending $100,000 on architectural plans for any potential work to the building. According to a notice posted by the district’s Prudential Committee, plans include demolishing and removing the existing single story office area and basement, and designing, constructing and equipping a two-story addition to the space.

The new design is a major renovation to the administration side of the building that will increase the office areas from one office to four. Plans also include a safe ready room for personnel to remain off the garage floor during calls, a meeting room, an upgraded kitchen, and a training/meeting area for staff meetings.

Plans for the second floor include the addition of four to six rooms the fire department said will provide a place for personnel to stay during inclement weather during calls and future duty coverage when required overnight. 

According to the fire department, personnel currently sleep on the hose beds of trucks, an old couch, or an office chair.

The second floor would also have a small food prep area and a day room.

Renovation plans also include a plymovent exhaust system, resurfacing parking areas, and upgrading the station's communications antenna.

To pay for these upgrades, the fire district’s Prudential Committee anticipates transferring $500,000 from stabilization funds, transferring $1 million in free cash, and borrowing $5 million.

The meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The station is located at 10 Bridge St.

This story has been updated to include more information on the proposed renovations.