Padanaram will soon have a new and improved fire station after residents agreed to raise their fire tax 15 cents in order to accommodate the project’s construction costs.

The station on Bridge Street, which has been awaiting its renovations since $7 million was approved for the project at the 2022 Fall Town Meeting, was packed Friday night, Sept. 27 as 67 of the district’s eligible voters sat for the Special District Meeting.

The vote for approval means the district will be able to borrow the necessary $2.5 million needed to complete the project. Prior to the meeting, Fire Prudential Committee Chair John Haran attributed the additional cost to rising inflation. 

David Tatelbaum, a Select Board member who said he was speaking as a private citizen at the meeting, asked why the project was delayed, knowing that it would affect the cost. 

Tim Lancaster, director of the Parks and Recreation Department and the chair of the Building Committee for the project, said the construction was delayed due to challenges during the design phase.

He said with this being a partial renovation and not just a new building construction, the design must fit in with the existing structure as well as the look of the district overall, adding the team went through a few plans before finding one that met all of the project’s goals.

The district’s approval of the project means that the resident fire tax will be raised from $0.36 to $0.51, which is still less than the rates in Dartmouth’s other fire districts, said John Foster, Fire District 1’s treasurer.

He added with the average household income in the district being approximately $660,000, the average family can anticipate paying an additional $100 annually.

He said at this time, his district’s rate still remains below that of Districts 2 and 3, which are $0.93 and $0.81, respectively. 

Foster added the district anticipates good bonding ratings and currently has no outstanding loans. 

Beyond the project, residents were curious how much the district still has for funds. He explained the stabilization fund contains approximately $194,000 and there is about $517,000 in free cash. 

Since the building was constructed in 1977, it has not undergone any major renovations, but the department is looking at upgrades to its garage in addition to the demolition and rebuilding of its office, which has been designed by Brewster Thornton Group Architects. Additionally, the project is being managed by ACG.

The project will involve adding a second story to the building, repaving the parking areas, replacing the garage doors and installing a ventilation system in the garage to filter out diesel fumes that the fire trucks emit. The garage will also be equipped with specialized washers so that firefighters can more readily cleanse their equipment and protective clothing of toxic substances encountered while putting out structure fires. 

Other improvements include adding bunk spaces for firefighters to sleep overnight and upgrading the training room with new televisions and projectors.

Prudential Committee member Kevin Murphy said, “A lot of people have been involved in the design of this project, and done many hours of work along the way, but I'd like to give a particular shout out to Tim Lancaster, who has gone above what's asked of him to see this project have moved along as expeditiously as possible.”

He added, “Hats off to Tim.”