Charlestown voters to decide $269,000 purchase of land for replacement fire station

Charlestown residents will vote by Australian ballot on Tuesday, March 10, on Article 9, which asks voters to approve $269,000 to buy roughly 3.2 acres at 291 Old Springfield Road for a replacement fire station. Balloting will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Charlestown Senior Center, 223 Old Springfield Road.

Town officials describe the proposed purchase as the first step in a larger fire station project after an evaluation concluded repairs to the existing station are not feasible. An evaluation completed by the committee, the town’s insurance provider, Primex, and an architect hired by the town found that repairs to the current station are not feasible, and part of improving conditions would require an expansion the current location cannot accommodate.

The Selectboard recommended the purchase of the parcel, which is a portion of Putnam Farms owned by Alan Putnam, while the town finance committee did not recommend the article. Selectboard member Charles Baraly, a former Charlestown fire chief who remains on the department and served on the station committee, said the land-buy would secure a buildable site. "That way, once the town has a firm project plan, there’s a spot ready to build upon," Baraly said Tuesday by phone.

The parcel at 291 Old Springfield Road is described in warrant materials as roughly 3.2 acres; the $269,000 requested in Article 9 would cover the land-acquisition cost only. The warrant language identifies the purchase as a land-acquisition step for a replacement station rather than funding for design or construction, and no construction-cost estimate is included in the Article 9 request.

If voters approve the $269,000 land purchase on March 10, Baraly said the Selectboard would move toward presenting a full project proposal to voters. "If the land purchase is approved, a detailed project proposal would likely be on the Charlestown annual ballot next year," he said, signaling that construction funding and design plans would come to voters in a subsequent warrant article.

Key details not resolved in town materials include the parcel's legal map/lot description, any purchase-and-sale contingencies, and the source of funds for the $269,000. Voters heading to the Charlestown Senior Center on March 10 will decide whether the town secures a portion of Putnam Farms now to keep a potential site in hand ahead of a likely project vote next year.