Following a 90-minute public hearing attended by about 50 people, Borough Zoning Commission (BZC) members on Wednesday, December 10, unanimously approved issuing a special zoning permit to Newtown Hook & Ladder Company, No. 1, for the construction of a firehouse at a 3.16-acre site at 12 Church Hill Road.

Hook & Ladder members at the session enthusiastically responded to the zoning approval, an action that follows the fire company’s multiple past attempts to build a new firehouse in the borough, which had failed to materialize for one reason or another.

Hook & Ladder Fire Chief Ray Corbo said December 11, “I’m very pleased that it turned out in our favor,” adding that he was pleased that people living near the firehouse site spoke in favor of the project.

The fire company would like to start building the new firehouse as soon as possible, he said.

The volunteer fire company has long sought to build new fire facilities to replace the deteriorated, structurally unsound town-owned firehouse at 45 Main Street that the company has been using for decades. No details were offered on the cost of the facility.

Voting in favor were Chairman Douglas Nelson, David Francis, Brid Craddock, Lucy Emerson Sullivan, and Michael Guman.

BZC members’ checklist decisions included that the presence of a 16,000-square-foot firehouse would not create traffic hazards, would be in harmony with the neighborhood and its architecture, would not adversely affect nearby property values, and would not create health hazards. They also decided that the project meets the intent and purpose of the 2104 Town Plan of Conservation and Development.

Traffic Implications

The traffic implications of the firehouse project was a prime topic of conversation at the public hearing.

The Police Commission, in its role as the local traffic authority, is scheduled to discuss the traffic-related aspects of the firehouse project when it meets at 6 pm on Tuesday, December 16, at Town Hall South, 3 Main Street. The fire company had sought to have the traffic issue placed on the Police Commission’s December 2 meeting agenda, but was unsuccessful.

Resident Walt Motyka of Kent Road told BZC members that he travels frequently between Interstate 84 and his home, using Church Hill Road to do so. Mr Motyka noted that traffic congestion occurs on Church Hill Road. He said he is concerned about the large size of fire trucks in light of Church Hill Road’s traffic congestion.

Mr Motyka asked whether the presence of a firehouse on the south side of Church Hill Road across that street’s intersection from Wendover Road would require the installation of a traffic signal. No new traffic signal is planned.

Mr Motyka asked that a formal traffic study be performed for the firehouse project.

Mr Nelson responded that several traffic studies had been performed in the past for other development projects in that area. Mr Nelson said that he expected that no traffic study would be done for the firehouse project.

“A traffic study, I don’t think, is a key part of this conversation,” Mr Nelson said.

Rob Manna of Hook & Ladder said the fire company is familiar with the traffic situation in its fire district.

“We’ve got to navigate the traffic. That’s why we’ve got lights and sirens,” he said.

Mr Manna said Church Hill Road would be safer a place for fire trucks exiting a firehouse than Main Street because there are fewer pedestrians on Church Hill Road.

Hook & Ladder President Rick Camejo, who is a fire truck driver, said that fire truck drivers are cautious when traveling on emergency calls, noting that they have special licensing to drive such vehicles.

“We make a lot of noise, but we’re pretty cautious,” he said.

Attorney Christopher Smith, representing Hook & Ladder, said the fire company will need to get an endorsement for the presence of a new firehouse from the state Department of Transportation because Church Hill Road is a state road.

The project’s design would not create a new driveway entrance on Church Hill Road. The rear driveway for Trinity Episcopal Church would be forked, providing access to the firehouse site.

The church has agreed to sell 3.16 acres to the fire company for $500,000, provided that the fire company receives all required approvals for the project.

George Benson, town director of planning, said, “We felt early on that a traffic study was not required” for the firehouse project.

Main Street resident Sherry Bermingham asked whether the Hook & Ladder fire siren positioned atop Edmond Town Hall at 45 Main Street would remain in place when the fire company works out of new facilities on Church Hill Road.

Chief Corbo called the fire siren a “tried and true system that’s worked for decades,” noting that electronic fire pagers sometimes fail, with the siren serving as a reliable secondary warning device alerting firefighters of an emergency.

Firefighters plan to continue using the siren atop Edmond Town Hall.