Sudbury Holds Special Town Election

SUDBURY, MA—Sudbury is holding a special town election, and it's basically to see if the town will support an exemption from proposition two and a half in order to construct a new fire station.

The election takes place on Monday, Dec. 11, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Poll locations:

• Precincts 1, 1A, 2 & 5 - Fairbank Community Center, 40 Fairbank Road
• Precincts 3 & 4 - Sudbury Town Hall, 322 Concord Road

Here is the wording of the sole question on the election ballot:

"Shall the Town of Sudbury be allowed to exempt from the provisions of proposition two and one-half, so called, the amounts required to pay for the bonds issued in order to construct a new Fire Station #2 and

appurtenant structures on Town-owned land, for site development, purchasing additional equipment,
technology, furniture, landscaping, and all expenses connected therewith, including professional,
engineering, and architectural services and preparation of plans, specifications and bidding documents,
supervision of work, relocation, and borrowing costs and expenses?"

The Sudbury Fire Station number two was constructed in 1961, and today, does not meet the needs of a modern facility, according to experts.

The three main challenges of the facility, according to town officials, are:

• The station is undersized. The trucks barely fit through the apparatus bay doors, and the trucks, equipment, protective gear, exercise equipment, and medical supplies are all housed in the apparatus bay.
• There is only one bunk room and one bathroom which means there are no gender accommodations for female firefighters.
• The widening of Route 20 has shortened the station’s apron, causing the fire trucks to have to use Route 20 to back into the bays creating a safety risk.

The proposed project includes the design and construction of a new Sudbury Fire Station 2 on the existing site which will support Sudbury Fire and Ambulance operations and help maintain efficient response times to emergencies. The estimated cost of a new Sudbury Fire Station 2 is $ 7,100,000, which includes construction costs, architectural and engineering fees, owner’s project manager costs, technology, station equipment and furnishing, and relocation costs.

Find out more information about the fire station project here.

The election warrant can be found here, and the specimen ballot is here.

Photo via town of Sudbury