CFD station plans temporary move to St. Gerard’s

Town officials on Tuesday announced a new temporary use for St. Gerard’s as the Fire Department prepares to relocate staff and equipment to the former church rectory while the Ponkapoag Fire Station undergoes needed repairs and asbestos removal operations.

The work will commence in late May and will take approximately two months to complete. In order to facilitate the temporary relocation, the Select Board authorized a $20,000 expenditure for internet and phone upgrades at the rectory and church buildings. The upgrades will be paid from remaining funds left after the purchase of the property from the Archdiocese of Boston.

In addition to the relocation of five firefighters to the rectory, an ambulance, engine and ladder will be housed in the parking lot of St. Gerard’s.

The Select Board had previously authorized the Canton Food Pantry to temporarily relocate from the Rodman building to the church to address space challenges while the St. Gerard’s Reuse Committee continues to explore permanent uses for the newly acquired town property.

In other major news from the April 25 meeting, Select Board members were informed that the Canton Public Library is in urgent need of roofing, HVAC and masonry repairs and Finance Director Randy Scollins is ready to propose a $2.66 million debt authorization to supplement a $1.3 million capital request and a $320,000 allocation from a prior town meeting. The debt authorization will be paid within the tax levy and will not necessitate a debt override vote.

Scollins and Bob McCarthy of the Building Renovations Committee said the damage to the exterior of the building was much more extensive than previously thought, and additional capital investments will be needed in future years for interior repairs. McCarthy said not enough attention was paid to the findings of a 2017 report detailing needed structural repairs to town buildings and officials now need to take a closer look at that report. This year’s municipal budget includes a proposal for a new central maintenance director who would be responsible for oversight of all public building repairs …

See this week’s Canton Citizen for more highlights from the April 25 Select Board meeting. Click here to subscribe to the Citizen, or check out our e-edition.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Apr 28 2023. Filed under News, Police & Fire, Town Government. Both comments and pings are currently closed.