Groundbreaking To Kick Off Moody Street Fire Station Construction

WALTHAM, MA — After years in the making, it's ground breaking ceremony time for the Waltham Fire Department’s new Moody Street Fire Station. Monday, at 10 a.m. officials and crews will be out with hardhats, the ceremonial shovel and some pretty happy faces at 533 Moody St, the site of the Moody St Fire Station.

It's the latest and symbolizes the biggest step forward in the estimated $10 million Moody Street Fire Station renovation and replacement project.

"It’s amazing to see this coming to fruition," said Lt. Scott Perry, a spokesperson for the fire department. "There's been a lot of planning that's gone into this."

The Moody Street Fire Station was built in the 1800s, when firefighters drive to the fires via horse-drawn carts. City Councilors say that firefighters tell them on hot humid days you can still smell the horses. For years, the city has talked about how to best upgrade the historic station that they say is severely outdated, and now doesn't even quite physically fit the latest trucks.

The city approved funding $239,000 for the demolition of the Young Building near the corner of Moody and Maple to make way for a new Moody Street fire station late last year. In February residents came to watch as the building came down, marking the first visible step in the project. In May, the city approved the $10 million bid for construction work.

Demolition finished up during the last weeks of July, including the demolition of the old deputy's quarters and the opening of a temporary entrance from the old station so that firefighters would have easy access to the building at 90 Cherry Street, where they'll live while on shift during construction.

That means if a fire happens while firefighters are sleeping, they won't have to run around the building.

“We looked at numerous options on how to keep he trucks in the station during construction, and this is what we’ve come up with. And we think it’s going to work,” Fire Chief Tom MacInnis told Patch.

This month,look for a fence to go up at the Fitch, as crews prepare to stage for construction there. For a few weeks construction crews have been using the Fitch for parking while they work, except for Tuesdays, when there's the farmer's market. The sprinkler park will be in full operation.

Fire officials and city Councilor Cathyann Harris of Ward 8, who is championing the project, stress they're trying to minimize the impact to the South Side as much as possible, but also make sure it's a safe site.

"We want to make sure that people understand that every consideration is trying to be made that it is going to be a construction site so please abide by the restrictions we set and use caution," said Perry.

Crews have just finished site grading, then the week of Aug. 2 through Aug. 9 they'll be digging the foundation, according to MacInnis.

After the groundbreaking ceremony, crews will begin some restoration on the old building and construction planning and prep into September. Then begins "Phase 2" of construction, according to Harris. They'll prep for and then lay a new foundation.

Harris said the project's next funding request will be for furniture fixtures and equipment before the end of the year.

Related:

• Waltham Approves $10 Million Bid For New Moody St Fire Station
• More Demolition Work On Moody Street Fire Station (July)
• First Look At New Moody Fire Station Project
• Demo Day In Waltham: Young Building Is Demolished

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).