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Image via westwoodfs1.com. Current plans for a new FS1 include a smaller facility at the site of Westwood's former Deerfield School.
9-29-2026 9:04pm
Westwood Select Board Adopts Revised FS1 Project Scope, $39.98 Million Budget Ahead of Special Town Meeting
Darlene Cancell
Editor
Westwood Select Board at its meeting at Westwood Public Library on Monday, September 28, voted to adopt a new scope and a not-to-exceed budget of $39,981,158 for construction of a new Fire Station 1. This amount represents a reduction of $1.62 million, or 4 percent less, from the $41.6 million project that the board presented in 2025, which voters rejected.
The Select Board will present the revised project budget to voters for approval at a Special Town Meeting on October 26.
In August, Select Board approved the FS1 Steering Committee's recommendation to use the former Deerfield School property as the future location for Fire Station 1. Following that decision, site plans for the new FS1 were presented and updated after feedback from the Westwood community.
“Addressing FS1 is a top priority,” said Select Board Member Joseph Previtera. “This new approach takes both fire department needs and community feedback seriously and will allow us to get the right FS1 for Westwood.”
In early September, the schematic design package was provided to independent cost estimators, who came together to reconcile the cost estimates, resulting in the current project budget, said town officials.
According to town officials, the revised FS1 project includes a smaller facility and a plan for "innovative" funding to reduce the burden on taxpayers. Town officials have highlighted the following six aspects of the revised project plan:
1. Reduced Facility Size: The design calls for an approximately 29,000-square-foot facility with four apparatus bays, about a 19 percent decrease in size compared to the earlier plan for FS1 that was presented in November 2024 as a 35,833 square foot project.
2. Reduced Tax Impact: Town officials estimate that the annual tax impact of the project on the average single-family homeowner will be $343, an 8 percent reduction from the prior projected tax increase of $372 per year. Most single-family homeowners with properties at or below the median assessed property value of $1,077,000 could see an annual cost of less than $300, town officials said.
3. "Innovative" Funding Plan: The funding plan proposes using $5.18 million in non-debt excluded funding sources, including free cash, proceeds from the sale of real estate, meals and hotel tax revenue, and recreation revolving funds. Town officials estimate that this would reduce the debt-excluded bond by 13 percent, resulting in a $10 million less in debt service payments over 30 years and reducing overall tax impact.
4. No Projected FS-1 Related Tax Impact until Fiscal Year 2029: Preliminary cash flow and funding forecasts indicate that FS1-related tax impacts are not projected to begin until FY29, which starts July 1, 2028. Final bond issuance timing and interest rates would be subject to market conditions.
5. Firefighter Health and Safety Features: The new proposal continues to include features to help protect firefighters, including decontamination space and separate "hot" and "cold" zones intended to remove carcinogens from living and working spaces.
6. Community Benefits: As part of the proposed project, the Deerfield site would be renovated to replace fields and/or green space, improve stormwater management and drainage, and expand the Westwood Public Library parking lot to benefit both field and library users.
“This is the culmination of a great deal of staff, volunteer, consultant, and resident engagement after over 70 public meetings this past year,” said Select Board Chair Marianne LeBlanc Cummings. “I appreciate the focus of the FS1 Committee, verifying the needs of the Fire Department to make the building as efficient as possible, with a funding package that achieves a smaller tax impact despite significant escalation in construction costs.”
“I am proud of the team for the heavy lift all summer to deliver this on time,” said Select Board Clerk Erin Sibley. “And I appreciate how seriously the project team is taking water concerns on site and that the financing plan turns over every rock to be creative with ways to finance this project.”
The adoption of the project scope and budget is one of the final milestones of the FS1 feasibility and schematic design process. As approved by voters at May's Town Meeting, that process includes studying the siting of Fire Station 1 at three possible locations, environmental review, traffic analysis, public outreach, and other related professional services.
Town officials say the feasibility and schematic design report will be finalized in the coming weeks. They are directing interested members of the public to project documents, including presentations, schematic designs, site layouts, and the Town’s funding proposal, at www.westwoodfs1.com/updates-documents.
