BRATTLEBORO — The new West Brattleboro Fire Station is complete, and construction on the Central Fire Station and the future Brattleboro Police Station on Black Mountain Road continues.
That's the progress report that Town Manager Peter B. Elwell gave the Selectboard during its April 4 meeting.
A ribbon cutting and open house for the West Brattleboro Fire Station is set for Saturday, April 22, from 9 a.m. until noon, with a brief ceremony at 9:30 a.m. Elwell encouraged the public to attend.
Board member John Allen, who also serves on the Police-Fire Facility Building Committee, expressed his disappointment that the ceremony was scheduled on a day he won't be in town.
The fire department has been using the new West B station for the past couple of weeks. Allen asked Fire Chief Michael Bucossi how the new station is working for his department.
“It's performed really well,” said Bucossi, who noted a call came in while they were backing the first truck into the building.
As for the Central Fire Station on Elliot Street, which is under construction for an addition and expansion of the 70-year-old station, Elwell said construction crews put the roof on the addition's steel frame.
The interior masonry-bearing walls under the roof should be complete in the next few weeks. The next step is to put in the perimeter masonry walls, continue roof work on the existing fire station, pour the slab under the mezzanine area, and continue the electrical rough-in work.
Resident Daniel Quipp, who works with the Brattleboro chapter of the environmental group 350.org, asked if the fire station's addition will be well-insulated.
Elwell said, “yes."
Work on Central Station is expected to be completed by November.
Demolition work on the future police station at 62 Black Mountain Road began last week, and Elwell said the Brattleboro Reformer has moved into its new offices in the building.
Over the next few weeks, Elwell said, construction crews will continue adding steel-stud framing and begin adding mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.
Selectboard member Brandie Starr asked Elwell about energy-efficiency projects in the new police station.
Elwell said “there is a possibility” of putting solar panels on the roof of the police vehicles' carport. “There has been consideration of improving energy efficiency” of the 30-year-old building, and the town worked with Efficiency Vermont.
“We had to get the budget passed, and that's what we were looking for,” Allen said.
Selectboard member David Schoales noted the building is part of the SkySolar net-metering array at the Windham Solid Waste Management's capped landfill.
The expected move-in date for the police department is August, 2017.