Fight expected to up spending for Mass. fire station that has no running water

By Dick Lindsay
The Berkshire Eagle

PERU, Mass. — Voters at a special town meeting will decide whether to spend $166,800 more than expected to build a new fire station to replace a decaying and inadequate facility on West Main Road.

The additional funding represents a 41.7 percent increase in the cost of the project, now estimated at $566,800.

The Board of Selectmen on Monday night scheduled a special town meeting on the issue to be held at 7 p.m. May 14 at Town Hall.

Peru's Annual Town Meeting last year approved $400,000 for the planning and construction of a new 3,800-square foot facility to be located near the highway garage on East Main Road. The building will include five bays, a meeting room that can hold up to 30 people, decontamination showers and two bathrooms. The current station lacks indoor plumbing.

However, the lowest of eight bids the town received last week was nearly $555,000 from Souliere & Zepka Construction of Adams, with six of the bids within $31,000 of each other.

"We talked with all kinds of contractors and engineers ahead of time and got many different prices," Selectman Edward Richards said. "But the only way you're going to tell what it will cost is by going out to bid."

While the funding request could be addressed at the Annual Town Meeting June 2, Richards said the special gathering is necessary to ensure the town will still get the lowest bid price.

Town officials expect a tough sell convincing townspeople to boost spending on the fire station project, given they rejected a $600,000 appropriation for the new fire station at the Annual Town Meeting in 2010.

"I can understand how they might feel," said Fire Chief Eric Autenrieth. "Local government is taking the brunt of people's anger about the economy."

If approved, the town would be eligible for more federal funding toward the project, according to town officials. Peru is in line to receive from the U.S. Department of Agriculture a $22,200 grant and $365,000 loan at 3 percent interest. Town funds would cover the remaining costs.

Dating back to the 1950s, the current station is so small in comparison to the department's needs that $100,000 in equipment — acquired through federal grants in the past three years — is sitting in storage due to a lack of space in the station. And when new vehicle equipment is added, other equipment has to be left off to fit in the bays.

"There's also no training room, no bathroom — we don't even have running water," Autenrieth said.

In addition, the building shakes when strong winds come through and the entire base is rotting, as are some boards above the bay doors.

If built, the new facility will be located at the site of the town park, which will be relocated further back from the road to accommodate the new structure.

Autenrieth hopes voters understand the importance of a new fire station to the volunteer fire department and the town.

"We responded to 45 calls last year and, so far, this year we've had 27," he said. "We have a really, really dedicated crew and they've never asked for anything in return."

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