Brunswick Town Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a $9.1 million contract with Ledgewood Construction to build a new fire station at the intersection of Pleasant and Webster streets.
The contract is expected to be signed by the South Portland based company today and construction could begin as early as next week, according to Town Manager John Eldridge.
The single-story brick building was designed by WBRC Architects and will sit on a 2.4-acre lot. The station will be around 26,000 square feet and will include seven bays, community space, bunk rooms, kitchenettes, offices and a Brunswick Fire Department display museum.
According to Ledgewood Business Development Director Lisa Beeler, the project is estimated to take around 15 months. Alongside land acquisition and other fees and services, the total cost will come to just over $13 million.
“On Jan. 28, we received 10 bids which was remarkably responsive for the fire station contract,” said Eldridge. “Ledgewood was determined to be the lowest bidder.”
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Fire Chief Kenneth Brillant. “It’s been such a long process that (the department) is just relieved, and they’ll be even happier when they’re ready to move in.”
The old fire station, located at 21 Townhall Place, is 102-years-old and has a wide range of safety and storage issues. Town discussion of a new fire station has been a topic for about 40 years, Brillant said.
“We’re finally able to address the needs of central station and get those corrected,” Brillant said. “In municipal government there is so many moving targets that sometimes for various reasons certain targets get left off to the side.”
Built in 1919, the station was originally constructed to fit horse-drawn fire fighting equipment.
Ledgewood has worked on four previous projects in Brunswick, including two schools, the library and the police station. “We have confidence that they can deliver a quality building designed by WBRC,” Eldridge said in a memo to the council.
“We work with our sub-contractors and find the best possible pricing that we can for the Town of Brunswick,” Beeler said.
In August, The Times Record reported that some Planning Board members had concerns about the traffic layout at the corner of Pleasant and Webster.
“We have the ability to control intersections remotely which is one of the reasons we chose that particular corner,” Brillant said.
Brillant said that he is “not super concerned” about the intersection and that he does not anticipate any issues regarding traffic at the new location.
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