DENNIS – The Town of Dennis is eyeing a new parcel of land for a new Fire Station 2.
Selectmen approved a request from Fire Chief Mark Dellner last week to gather more information to determine if a parcel on Paddocks Path at a former sand pit is environmentally viable.
The new 14,000-square-foot station would replace the existing station on Old Bass River Road near Route 6A.
The former top choice at the corner of Route 134 and Setucket Road was scrapped due to deed restrictions limited access to the property.
“If we run into a dead-end with the environmental portion of this or we find that there is too much construction material in there and that’s not going to work out then we will reboot,” Dellner said.
Selectmen endorsed the construction of a new Fire Station 2 last summer after a feasibility study indicated issues with lot size, zoning and poor access for the current 63-year-old station on Old Bass River Road.
The study also detailed health and safety issues at the current station. It does not include a decontamination room for firefighter gear or protection from toxic gases.
The decontamination areas are gaining in popularity for new fire facilities as studies have shown that firefighters are exposed to conditions that result in much higher rates of cancer.
“I think that we have a good plan that is fully endorsed by our firefighters and we are not closing the door on any other projects,” Dellner said.
Dellner is hoping to have an articles before town meeting voters in the spring and fall.
“We are going to take this to our building committees and town committees and go room by room again to prepare bid documents,” he said.
Dellner said he plans to be aggressive to work on developing the project.
“My goal is to, by this time next year,” be able to hand off this project to the next fire administration to see it through construction,” Dellner said.
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