Chilmark town center has been abuzz with cranes and excavators this off-season, an unusual burst of industry at the rural crossroads. A wood-shingled new fire station has emerged across from Beetlebung Corner, and behind it, down a winding path, is another addition: the new Tri-Town Ambulance building.
Both structures are slated to be completed in June and, in conjunction with town hall, will form a municipal campus, said select board member Bill Rossi. It is the culmination of a two-decades long effort.
“It’s a good change for a town that doesn’t like change all that much,” Mr. Rossi said, during a recent tour.
Plans to replace the 1930s-era fire station began in the 1990s, before being put on the back burner in favor of other projects. Efforts started up again in 2014, but before the new building could be designed town officials had to identify a location for it, without causing undue impact on the character of the town center.
As it turned out, the solution was found in another emergency response project: the construction of a new Tri-Town Ambulance building.
“For us, it’s all about response time,” said Tri-Town chief Ben Retmier.
Relocating to the crossroads from their current base of operations in West Tisbury, said Mr. Retmier, allows for paramedics to respond to concerns in Chilmark and Aquinnah much more quickly than before.
The close proximity of the two departments, said Chilmark fire chief Jeremy Bradshaw, is a welcome bonus.
“Firemen and paramedics, we’re like this,” he said crossing his pointer and middle finger.
Designing the two buildings in conjunction allowed the town to build in certain collaborative uses into the design. A dual-use training space can be used by both departments, as can a large meeting room that will be shared with the town. The lot at the Tri-Town building will also double as parking for town hall.
Those collaborative spaces, in turn, helped shrink the footprint of each building, allowing for the new fire station to be constructed on the same site at the old one.
“We’ve kept the profile down to keep it in the scheme of town,” Mr. Bradshaw said.
Project manager Mike Owen noted that among the virtues of the new compound is the success of their green approach to building.
“This building has an incredible thermal envelope” he said. This was a major factor in the design of the buildings’ heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, he added. Both are fully electric, and ready to accept solar panels once the town acquires grant funding.
Though Mr. Rossi noted that there are some concerns about change, he feels the new campus environment will be well received.
“It’s a lot, but we are hoping it blends,” he said. “And it’s a lot safer for all the towns.”
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