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BRIDGEWATER — Town Manager Michael Dutton, Town Council President Matthew Rushton, Fire Chief Michael MacDermott, and the Fire Station Building Committee wish to share the following statement thanking voters for their approval of the Proposition 2 1/2 debt exclusion associated with fire facilities projects during today’s Town Election:
“We are thankful to our residents for their support of our fire department and its firefighters and EMS personnel, and are excited to be moving forward with this important project. Because of your support, we will be able to build a new, state-of-the-art station which we expect to be the home for our fire department for the next 50 years, as well as make needed repairs to Station 2.
“The Fire Station Building Committee has been working on the new fire headquarters project since 2019 with the overall goal of meeting the needs of both our department and community members. The selected location and station design will provide needed coverage to the western part of town and give our firefighters a worthy space to work out of and live in.
“The new station will also be a space where the department will be able to host events and connect with the community, and we look forward to welcoming residents to the new station.”
With today’s voter approval, the Town will move forward with the project by issuing a Request For Proposal (RFP) to find a well-qualified Owner’s Project Manager. This process is expected to take approximately two months.
The architect will then finish the design plans and prepare them for bidding, which is expected to take up to eight months. At the same time, the project manager and architect will pre-qualify subcontractors and general contractors to ensure their proper qualifications and eligibility to bid on the construction work for the new fire station.
The Town will then follow a detailed bid process to select those who will work on the project, which is expected to take about two months.
Once construction starts, it is expected to take 12 to 16 months to complete, dependent upon weather. While construction takes place, the Town will also be planning for the improvements at Station 2, which will follow a similar bidding and selection process.
With the above timeline, it is expected that the new fire headquarters would open sometime in 2024. Updates as the project progresses will be available on the official project news blog website here, and the Bridgewater Fire Department website here.