Milford needs new fire station, and plan is sound

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

To the Editor:

The Milford fire station was new in 1974. In 2010 it is old, crowded and insufficient for today’s needs. The Milford Ambulance Department moved into Town Hall in 1975 when the fire department left. They have definitely outgrown their quarters. You can read about each department’s urgent needs in the voters’ guide mailed to each Milford household this week.

In October 2009 the Community Facilities Committee presented a comprehensive report to the selectmen which included three options for new facilities. The report includes reasons for site locations, possible site plans for various facilities and rough cost estimates. You can review the report, complete with graphics, on the Milford Web site.

The selectmen chose the shared fire/ambulance option on School and Nashua Streets as the best location for response time, the most economic with a shared core facility, and room for plenty of parking.

The site will require purchasing four lots surrounding the existing fire station. The selectmen have placed a warrant article for land acquisition up to $850,000 on the ballot for March 9, 2010. This is a bond issue and has no financial impact until 2011.

I sincerely hope the voters will pass the warrant article. The need for new emergency facilities is certainly not going to go away and will only become more urgent and more expensive as time passes.

KATHY BAUER

Milford Selectman