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SEPTEMBER 14, 2016 SPECIAL TOWN MEETING 2016 -5 APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE The present site of the Headquarters Fire Station is much too small to allow continued operations in tem- porary facilities at that site while the existing facility is demolished and rebuilt, therefore acquisition of swing space is critical. Purchase of Property at 171 -173 Bedford Street The property at 171 -173 Bedford Street is 2.77 acres in area. A two -story office building stands on the property at the front of the property on Bedford Street. The rear of the property has a large paved parking lot. The office building would be modified to serve the Fire Department's administrative needs, to pro- vide accommodations for fire fighters on duty, and for equipment storage and maintenance. Temporary structures or tents would be set up behind the building to provide heated garaging for fire truck, ambu- lance, and possibly other vehicles. For the duration of the site's use as a temporary fire station, an on- demand traffic signal would be installed on Bedford Street at the facility driveway, similar to the signal in front of the current fire station. The Town and property owners have signed a Letter of Intent regarding sale and purchase of the property; the agreed -upon price for the real estate is $4,300,000. The sale is contingent upon approval at this Spe- cial Town Meeting. The current owner listed the property and received offers from other prospective pur- chasers before the Town made its final offer. The agreed -upon price is thereby derived directly from the marketplace, and is presumed to be reasonable. It should be noted that if the Town acquires the property, it could re -sell the property at some later date and recoup much or all of the original cost. In other words, the land and building would not only serve an immediate need of the Town, but would also constitute an investment asset with significant value and the potential for appreciation. We understand that no zoning changes are needed to locate the temporary fire station on the site. Article 5 at this Special Town Meeting will request funds to conduct feasibility studies for a new police station. The replacement of the police station will likely follow the replacement of the fire station by a year or so. The Board of Selectmen has indicated that 171 -173 Bedford Street could serve as swing space during construction of a new police station or, alternatively, it could be the site of the new police station. These uses for the site would take priority after its use as temporary fire station ends. Long -Term Schedule and Coordination A schedule has been discussed for the reconstruction of the fire headquarters, but no board or committee has yet voted on the details of specific actions or dates. We offer a sketch of a schedule here as contextual information for Town Meeting. Note that, in order to coordinate a major debt exclusion referendum, the timing of these requests will be strongly affected by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) review and approval of the design for the new Hastings Elementary. Fall 2016 STM (now) Acquire 171 -173 Bedford Street and Initiate Plan for Temporary Fire Station Spring 2017 ATM /STM Funding for Design and Construction Documents for Temporary Fire Station Funding for Schematic and Design Documents for New Fire Station Early Fall 2017 MSBA vote on Hastings Elementary Fall 2017 STM Funding for Construction of Temporary Fire Station Funding for Construction Documents and Construction of New Fire Station Funding for Construction of Hastings Elementary Late Fall /Winter 2017 Debt Exclusion Referendum Winter 2017 Construct Temporary Fire Station Spring 2018 Move to Temporary Fire Station, Begin Construction on New Fire Station A narrative for this schedule follows below. 5