By Thane Grauel

WESTPORT — The Board of Finance has voted to fund a study looking at possible consolidation of the police/EMS headquarters and fire headquarters.

The board on Wednesday unanimously approved a $110,000 appropriation, requested by Deputy Fire Chief Nicholas Marsan, “for work to update and merge FD conceptual plans to include PD and EMS in a new concept analysis for a Joint Public Safety Facility.”

First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker told the crowd that in 2018 the town received a study that looked at town assets, and what might be needed.

“About $70 million of upgrades to our four fire stations as a result of that study,” Tooker said.

She said nothing was done with that money, and then COVID hit, and she took office two years ago.

“And I look at the $70 million, and I look at our four firehouses,” she said. “It just didn’t sit right with me that we would spend $70 million on those four assets. It felt like it wasn’t the best use of our dollars.”

And, she said, there’s nothing on the capital forecast for the current police and EMS headquarters on Jesup Road. She said she asked Marsan and Police Chief Foti Koskinas “to do some strategic thinking on how and what we should really be doing for public protection for the future of Westport, what does that look like, what demands do we have on our departments, and how best can we serve our community.”

“Ultimately what we want to do is put before you an option to just putting more money into current assets,” Tooker said.

Marsan said that federal regulations in recent years now mean significantly more space station is needed at fire stations so that dangerous areas (including those with diesel exhaust) can be separated from other areas for the safety of the workers.

Given the needs of the Police Department and EMS, Marsan said, “It may make strategic sense for Westport to look into this a little more seriously.”

“In the last four years there have been five instances we have not been able to exit the Police Department other than coming out through private lots to the Post Road,” Koskinas said of flooding from Deadman Brook near Imperial Avenue and near Jesup Green.

“It has become a real issue,” he said.

Also an issue is that the building at 50 Jesup Road was designed to be much larger than it was built, and that were closets are now being used as work areas. It continues to be accredited by the state, Koskinas said, but only because it is grandfathered.

Koskinas said they’re looking at possible locations for the combined facility, which might improve response times, especially, he said to places like Saugatuck Shores, where houses are tightly packed.

“There is a major concern, how quickly we get there,” he said, particularly for fire apparatus.

“This may or may not afford an opportunity to actually combine two firehouses, which would give incredible reallocation of human resources,” he said. “Certainly, no downsizing, but reallocation of human resources when it comes to how many people on a truck, how many people on a rescue truck, how many people on a ladder, which we currently cannot do.”

In addition to fire headquarters on Post Road East, the town has smaller stations on Easton Road, Riverside Avenue in Saugatuck, and on Center Street in Greens Farms.

Finance board Chairman Lee Caney pointed out that if the board approves the money for a study, “It doesn’t mean that we’re approving a joint safety complex.”

“There’s a lot of issues, from financial cost, to neighbors, to everything else that comes with building a facility,” he said.

“This is absolutely worth exploring,” member Danielle Dobin said. “I know the initial application several weeks ago included a specific reference to property on the Sherwood Island Connector.”

She said that raised concerns from neighbors and the Greens Farms Association, and asked if the feasibility study is looking at any properties.

“There is no specific place that we’re looking,” Marsan said.

“You have to look around town and say where is there potential land,” Koskinas said. “We certainly have not locked in or know if it’s a viable option for Greens Farms Road and the connector.”

“Yes, at one time did we look at that land, we absolutely did,” he said. “But it was not the only land.”

Grayson Braun, chairwoman of the Historic District Commission, spoke on behalf of the group and said the first responders deserve a quality facility.

“I just want to remind everybody as we go into this, unfortunately the consultation put that location, that corner, in the letter and it triggered a flurry of historic preservation angst.”

“I just want to remind everybody the West Parish Meetinghouse site, which is on the corner of the Sherwood Island Connector and Greens Farms Road, is a state archaeological preserve. So it falls under the purview of the HDC. And any use of that property that’s not passive recreation would require a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic District Commission.”

“That significance would be a massive factor in any HDC decision,” she said.

Mitch Higgins spoke on behalf of the Greens Farms Association. He said the group is in favor of the study, but if that property is considered, the GFA, a neighborhood association, and the HDC “have ample opportunity to review and ensure the protection and preservation of the West Parish Historical Preserve.”

The vote was unanimous. The appropriation goes next to the Representative Town Meeting.

Thane Grauel grew up in Westport and has been a journalist in Fairfield County and beyond for 36 years. Reach him at editor@westportjournal.com. Learn more about us here.