Newington voters head to the polls Tuesday to decide whether the town should spend $7.8 million replacing a fire station so outdated that other department trucks literally cannot fit inside it. The ballot question asks residents to approve construction of a new Fire Station No. 4 at 84 Fifth Street and authorize the borrowing needed to pay for it, with any grant funding received reducing the final amount financed.
The current station, located nearby on Dix Avenue, was built in 1954 and is now more than 70 years old, according to Life Publications. Its single bay is so undersized that none of the department's other engines or ladder trucks could fit inside, the outlet reports. Fire officials have said the aging building does not meet federal occupational safety and health standards or fire industry standards, a problem that has pushed the Newington Volunteer Fire Department to seek a replacement for more than a decade.
What the New Station Would Look Like
The proposed replacement would feature two bays large enough to house the department's modern apparatus, along with two floors instead of the current single level, per the same account from Life Publications. The upgraded design would include sleeping quarters, a larger kitchen, showers, restrooms and an elevator. If voters approve the measure and construction moves forward, the project is expected to take an estimated 18 months to build.
Newington's Town Council approved an appropriation and bond resolution for the project on July 14, sending the question to the Nov. 3 ballot, according to Patch. The ballot language asks whether the town should appropriate $7,800,000 for construction and authorize general obligation bonds or notes to cover it, with that figure reduced by any grants the project receives. Life Publications has separately put the project's current estimated price at roughly $7.7 million, a figure that differs slightly from the $7.8 million appropriation sought on the ballot.
Borrowing Plan and a Separate Federal Grant
If the referendum passes, Newington plans to borrow the construction funds in the bond market, according to Life Publications' reporting. Town officials have said the project is needed to improve public safety and finally replace a facility that has long been considered too small and too old for modern firefighting operations. Separately, the Newington Volunteer Fire Department was awarded a $72,000 FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant to support department safety and operations, FireRescue1 reported, though that grant is distinct from the bond question voters will decide Tuesday.
The idea of replacing Fire Station No. 4 is not new. Life Publications notes that the fire department has been angling for a new building for more than 10 years, and the New Britain Herald reports the project has sat in the town's capital improvement plans for more than a decade. The Herald also reports that a town committee weighed the project this year and ultimately voted 5-1 to recommend moving it forward.
Early Voting Ahead of Tuesday's Decision
Residents who want to weigh in before Election Day have had the option to vote early. Early voting has been scheduled daily through Sunday, Nov. 1, generally from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with extended hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27, and Thursday, Oct. 29, according to Patch. Polls on Election Day itself will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Residents looking for more detail on the project's plans and financial breakdown have been directed to review documents posted on the town's website, per the Herald's reporting.
Newington is not the only nearby town putting a fire-related question before voters this cycle. Patch reports that Wethersfield residents are also deciding a Nov. 3 referendum, in that case on whether to authorize $4 million to replace two aging fire trucks. Back in Newington, the fate of the Fifth Street project — and the 1954 station it would replace — now rests with voters.
