By Abigail W. Adams
From left: Coopers Mills Volunteer Fire Department Association member Chuck Vaughan, Chief Richard Parlin, and member and architect David Landmann at the Whitefield selectmen’s meeting Feb. 10. The association presented building plans for a new Coopers Mills station to selectmen, which they hope to begin construction on in the spring. (Abigail Adams photo) |
Representatives of the Coopers Mills Volunteer Fire Department Association presented plans for a new Coopers Mills fire station at the Whitefield Board of Selectmen’s meeting Tuesday, Feb. 10. The department hopes to begin construction in the spring.
Selectmen voted unanimously to endorse the concept behind the new station, which has been nearly two decades in the making.
Association Fire Chief Richard Parlin and members Chuck Vaughan and David Landmann presented selectmen the building plan to inform them of the project’s development, which they are coming close to finalizing, they said.
The project has been the focus of the association’s fundraising activity for almost 20 years, association members said. They expect the project will save the town money.
“It’s essentially just a big garage with a few extra bells and whistles,” Landmann said. Landmann, an architect, volunteered to help design the new station, which will sit adjacent to the current station in Coopers Mills.
Coopers Mills’ current station is nearly 100 years old and has only one bay door. Engine 5 and Tanker 1 are housed in the station. They are parked bumper to bumper, creating a safety hazard, association members said.
The current Coopers Mills station also has no bathroom and an inefficient heating system. The condition of the current station was a point of concern for selectmen, especially due to plans to house Whitefield’s new fire truck there.
Whitefield voters approved the purchase of a 2015 E-One pumper-tanker truck in March 2014 to replace Coopers Mills’ aging Engine 5 and Tanker 1, according to The Lincoln County News archives. Whitefield Fire Chief Scott Higgins said the new truck is expected to arrive within the week.
“The town voted to buy a new truck but there were concerns about the building we were putting it in,” Selectman Frank Ober said. “This takes care of that.”
The Coopers Mills Volunteer Fire Department Association is a private organization that serves as a satellite for the Whitefield Fire Department. It is composed of approximately 150 dues-paying members from Whitefield, Somerville, Windsor, and Jefferson, Parlin said. The association only has four active firefighters, however, leaders hope the new building will attract new recruits.
“Recruitment is the lifeblood of any volunteer fire department,” Parlin said. “With a new building and equipment, maybe we’ll be that much more attractive to new members.”
The association absorbs the majority of the cost of its facility and equipment through dues and fundraising activity. The town covers heating and maintenance costs.
The building plan presented to selectmen calls for a 64-by-34-foot building with two bay doors and an efficient heating system. It will also have a bathroom and a meeting space.
Once constructed, the town would become responsible for heating and maintaining the new building. The association would take full responsibility for the old station, which it plans to use for storage and possibly a parade vehicle.
The association hopes to begin construction of the new station in the spring and expects to complete it in a six-month time frame.
Selectman Tony Marple asked if the town should expect increased costs for the Coopers Mills station. Association representatives anticipate the new building will save the town money due to the efficient heating system in the new building and the fact the town would no longer be responsible for the old station.
“We’re basically trying to save the town money,” Vaughan said.
Higgins asked the selectmen if there were any plans for consolidating the private fire associations in Whitefield, which include the Coopers Mills and Kings Mills volunteer fire departments, with the municipal fire department. Higgins said it was an important question to ask before the association takes on any debt to fund the new station’s construction.
Higgins said he would be against a proposal to consolidate the fire departments due to the geography of the town, which, he said, requires three stations for a quick response. The nursing home in Coopers Mills and the station’s close proximity to mutual aid partners in the surrounding area makes the location necessary, Higgins said.
Selectmen said they were unaware of any proposal or any indication that the town would move in the direction of consolidating the fire departments.
The building plan for the new station is still in its preliminary phase, association members said. The association’s voting members must approve any loan to fund the building’s construction. The selectmen voted to endorse the concept behind the proposal, which is not expected to create any costs to Whitefield taxpayers.
“The town doesn’t need a Taj Mahal,” Ober said. “The town needs what you just showed us. I’m impressed with this.”
