Mary Johnson Photo
Town leaders donned helmets and took up shovels at a groundbreaking ceremony yesterday for a new $12.5 million fire headquarters at the station’s current location on Main Street. “We are going to toss some dirt and get this project underway,” Fire Chief Jack Ahern declared to applause.
Under clear, sunny skies, the town’s leaders lifted symbolic shovels of dirt to mark the spot for a 34,000 square foot state-of-art, environmentally friendly building that will even have separate bunk spaces for men and women firefighters. Residents may follow construction over the months via a live feed the department has created.
The current fire headquarters, now 50 years old, is in deplorable condition with numerous building violations—so many in fact, that fire officials believe it should have been closed down years ago. Ahern spoke of the project’s difficulties in his talk, thanking many people for working together as a team over the years.
Mary Johnson Photo
“While not easy and often frustrating, the road to today’s ceremony is a testament to a process that works. From the early funding and construction approvals to the construction documents, construction management and the ultimate approval of our project, the entire process did work. Our town government stayed involved in every step of development and insured that in 15 months our town will have a new town icon.”
Just last September, critics of the project, primarily the nine Republican Representative Town Meeting (RTM)members, sought to dismantle the project by critcizing the idea of moving the public works building, which was located on the same spot where the new fire headquarters is to go. While the Republicans maintained they wanted a new firehouse, they didn’t want it at its current site. They wanted public works to remain where it was. In the end, the Democratic RTM majority prevailed, and the new firehouse project was finally approved in September.
Public Works now has been moved to a temporary, leased facility until its final home is identified. Last month the public works building at the firehouse site was torn down.
Mary Johnson Photo
Speaking to some 60 people, including employees from Town Hall, firefighters and the children of firefighters, DaRos, who once headed the Board of Fire Commissioners, noted some of the history.
“You know first of all, it has been long, long haul and I can attest to it as many other people out there can as well. To get to this point took at least twenty years, many meetings, many debates many investments on the needs of the department. Now I can attest to at least fifty years of the history of the department. I do remember when there was a fire they used to send a police car out to make sure there was a fire,” he said. “We have come a long, long way since then. During that time the mission of the department has changed. “
DaRos said the new fire headquarters will last another 75 years. He said the current fire department was under-built; they changed their mind in the middle of it. We are not going to do that on this building. We are going to have a building we can be proud of and we are going to show, and the people of Branford are going to show that they support our emergency services here in Branford. We are second to none. And I believe that this building will show that.
“Who would have ever thought the Branford Fire Department would be running four ambulances. In the past you got a ride in a cop car to Yale-New Haven hospital. Today they do such a fantastic job in the field. And we need to show support for these people … the volunteers and career firefighters.
Ahern also chronicled the long path to achievement: “Back in July 2004 a feasibility and needs assessment study was funded and over the course of the next six years funding for a new fire house was secured. There were and are a number of people who have to be recognized for their dedication to this project, our first selectman Unk DaRos who even as a fire commissioner chair in the 1990’s fully supported and moved proactively for the full support of this building. “
He thanked the entire town staff, including various boards and the RTM “who guided us through the numerous tasks that we have done… An extra special thanks has to go to our town engineer and building committee chair Janice Plaziak who has devoted countless hours and completed mounds of paperwork and has applied for every approval known to man to bring this project to fruition.”
Robert Massey Jr., the chair of the Board of Fire Commissioners, recalled the groundbreaking for the current building. “Fifty years ago [1961] our forefathers held the same groundbreaking ceremony on this site for construction of our current fire headquarters. Let us build on their vision.”
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