Wellesley Fire Station Master Plan Siting for the second week in a row is on the Select Board’s agenda. Board members on Sept. 8 discussed the subject publicly amongst themselves and with fire department personnel, and on Sept. 15 (meeting starts at 6:30pm at town hall and online) the board will focus on public input and allowing for public comment. The Select Board also approved on Sept. 8 a fire department feasibility study project proposal form for submission to the Capital Planning Committee.

Plans to address Wellesley’s undersized and outdated fire stations—nearly 100-year-old Station 1 in Wellesley Square and nearly 40-year-old Station 2 on Rte. 9—have been heating up this year. The Fire Department shared its master plan, done in conjunction with a consulting firm experienced with such projects, at the June 2 Select Board meeting, and the public let its thoughts be heard at a forum later in June. Those members of the public who spoke said they support taking steps to improve firefighter safety and operations, acknowledging that much more space is needed in stations to allow for decontamination, large equipment, etc. Though there has been much opposition voiced to potentially situating a new headquarters station at one of two town-owned North 40 locations on Weston Road by the early 2030s, with a spot adjacent to the police station on Washington Street being another possibility cited in the master plan report. The town bought the 46-acre North 40 property from Wellesley College more than a decade ago, and has committed to at least half being used as open space, though with municipal uses eligible on the land as well.

A separate, but related public meeting on the North 40, is slated for Oct. 1 at Wellesley High School, and fire station talk has spread into other town government meetings, including the Sept. 9 Community Preservation Committee session.

The town has collected lots of materials online about the Fire Station Master Plan, including the consultant’s report and appendices covering everything from response rate analysis to cost estimates, frequently asked questions, action-packed dashcam videos, and a summary of facts, or make that “FACTS.” All this in preparation to likely ask Annual Town Meeting in the spring for the appropriation of funds to pay for a feasibility study (it initially looked as though funding would be requested this fall at Special Town Meeting).

We love it when readers support Swellesley via donor-advised funds. Learn more about making tax-deductible donations to back Swellesley’s work.

At the Sept. 8 meeting (See Wellesley Media recording about 20 minutes in and accompanying documents), board members shared thoughts and asked questions about numerous aspects of the master plan.

Kenny Largess dove into the site selection matrix, trying to get a better sense of the process used to come up with that. The matrix weighed issues from building costs to neighborhood impact to response time.

Beth Sullivan Woods talked of the “firehose of knowledge” that came out with the master plan, and how the town is now trying to take that in. Chair Marjorie Freiman said this project is different than some past ones in that there truly are limited options for station location given the dictates of firefighter response time, and noted later the importance of understanding programmatic needs through a master plan before getting to some of the location questions.

Fire Chief Steve Mortarelli acknowledged that he anticipated at the start that there might be a recommendation to just expand the current headquarters on Rte. 9, and while the consultancy did explore that, there were ultimately too many obstacles, including an historical building to the east and already existing traffic safety issues. The plan calls for building a headquarters station, where firefighters, administration, and others would work, and updating the current headquarters on Rte. 9; the future of the historic but tight station in Wellesley Square would need to be determined.

Board member Colette Aufranc, citing the consultant’s recommendations, spoke to the downsides of doing separate feasibility studies for very different sites, including potentially “causing a schism in town.” She also emphasized the need for education during the public engagement process on what’s been a very technical evaluation to this point.

Other topics raised included the ramifications of potentially locating a station in a heavily residential neighborhood. David Soar, former interim chief in Wellesley and now a consultant, said there are other examples of this locally, as it really just depends on a community’s layout. Mortarelli affirmed that the consulting firm, Context Architecture, “didn’t leave any stones unturned when it came to the configuration of this.” Board member Tom Ulfelder said an important addition to the information packet would be renderings that show what a fire station in different locations will really look like within the site and with landscaping.

One other issue discussed was whether, given the health threats to firefighters from exposure to carcinogens, there might be any way to come up with interim solutions before a new and renovated station were to be built seven or so years from now. According to the town’s fire and facilities personnel: Not really. Though the department does have its first team-wide health scan slated this fall, and is working to buy new PFAS-free gear for firefighters.

More: Photography club zooms in on Wellesley fire department

Wellesley residents gathered at Town Hall on June 25 for a forum on the Wellesley Fire Department’s Fire Station Master Plan, which proposes the construction of a new headquarters that would replace the century-old station in Wellesley Square that is small, outdated and poses risks to the firefighters’ health. The current 40-year-old WFD headquarters on Rte. 9 west (aka, station 2) would become a substation.

Context Architecture, the consulting firm spearheading the project, first presented the plan to the Select Board on June 2. There, Jeff Shaw, the firm’s president, said the ideal location for the station was 156 Weston Rd., which is within the town-owned North 40 property acquired from Wellesley College in 2014. This site is across from Curve Street; another possible location is at 156 Weston Rd. across from Howe St.

At the recent forum (see Wellesley Media recording), attendees raised numerous concerns with the site selection, citing issues pertaining to traffic, safety, environmental impact and the potential removal of the Weston Road Community Garden.

Glenn Remick, a Wellesley facilities project manager, said at the meeting that the purpose of the forum is to collect feedback from the community to consider while developing the criteria and scope for the feasibility study, which will assess how viable the recommended locations are.

Diane Dautoff, a resident of The Bristol, a condominium complex adjacent to the North 40, and board member of the Homeowners Association, said the board’s main concern is the preferred location being in a “thickly settled area.”

As a resident in the area, she said the streets are too narrow for drivers to make room for fire vehicles. She also said that the heavy traffic in the area would strongly hinder the station’s ability to meet its goal of a four-minute response time.

WFD Chief Steve Mortarelli said the department already travels frequently down Weston Road and emphasized that the new headquarters location would be an improvement geographically from the Wellesley Square location in terms of response time. Still, he echoed Remick’s statement that such concerns will be “dealt with” during the feasibility study.

Many Weston Road Community Garden participants also attended the meeting, expressing concern regarding the impact the construction could have on the space.

Diane Anderson, a longtime gardener at Weston Road Community Garden, said while she is in support of the project, she hopes that there is a solution that does not “come at the cost of one of the precious green spaces that helps make Wellesley so special.”

“The garden brings together people of different ages, backgrounds and cultures, while also providing habitat for birds, pollinators and a place for residents to connect with nature and with the earth,” Anderson said. “Is paving over a thriving community garden really the legacy we want to leave for this town?”

Meghan Jop, Wellesley’s executive director of general government services, said it is estimated that two acres of the community garden will be destroyed if the station is built on the North 40. However, she emphasized that the town has not closely analyzed this yet because the site has not been finalized.

Lisa Moore, environmental educator and outreach coordinator for Wellesley’s Natural Resource Commission, said if the station were to be on the North 40, it could pose a threat to the environment and residents’ health. 

Moore said firefighters often deal with carcinogenic chemicals that are washed off the equipment and apparatus.

“Where is that water gonna go?” she asked. “It’s going to go into Morses Pond and poison us.”

Morses Pond, she explained, is the town’s major watershed, meaning residents use its water for everyday purposes, such as drinking, showering and cooking.

Mortarelli agreed with the fact that the department’s firefighters are frequently exposed to many dangerous chemicals, but explained that the new headquarters aims to make significant improvements from the unsanitary conditions of the existing station. Currently, he said, there is no separate area from the living quarters for the firefighters to wash their gear.

“That’s one of the major reasons why we’re exploring this, is because that’s a major challenge for us, and it’s posed many, many health risks to a lot of not only our retired but our active firefighters,” he said.

Some meeting attendees asked about another of the plan’s recommended, though less preferred, locations: 515 Washington St., which is adjacent to the police station and across from the senior center.

The consulting firm determined the site is less ideal because it has an aqueduct running through it, limited future flexibility, and Article 97 restrictions, which require legislative action and compliance due to its protected land status, Remick said.

Amy McCarron, a Precinct B Town Meeting member, said she is married to a first responder, so she really wants to support the project. However, she said the two recommended Weston Road locations do not make sense to her, as it would mean placing a very large municipal building into a residential neighborhood.

The alternative location is located next to other municipal buildings, which would cause “far less disruption,” she said.

“I’m begging you to please give us a plan that we can support, because we want to support you guys. You’re so important to our community, and we want to make sure you’re safe. But if this moves forward this way, I don’t think that this is going to pass.”

Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com