Craig Davis, Chief
137 Main Street
Ashland, MA 01721
Ashland Fire Department
Keith Robie, Fire Chief
151 Main St.
Ashland, MA 01721
For Immediate Release
Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-9003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Ashland Police and Fire to Host Open House for Proposed New Public Safety Complex
Station Tours to Highlight Current Building Deficiencies
ASHLAND — Police Chief Craig Davis and Fire Chief Keith Robie invite residents to attend an open house at the police and fire stations next week to tour the aging buildings and learn more about the need for a new public safety complex.
WHEN:
Saturday, Aug. 11 from 1-4 p.m.
WHERE:
- Ashland Police Station, 137 Main St.
- Ashland Fire Station, 151 Main St.
Note: Both stations are next to each other and share the same parking lot.
WHAT:
The Town of Ashland has been engaged in a long-term process to develop a new public safety complex and is seeking funding to move forward with the project.
According to a feasibility study conducted by MMA Consulting Group, Inc. in 2008, both the Ashland Police Station and Ashland Fire Station were declared inadequate and obsolete. In an effort to point out some of the deficiencies found during the feasibility study, Chief Davis and Chief Robie will be providing tours of the two stations to residents during the open house.
The 2008 study found that both buildings are currently overcrowded with not enough space for current staffing, vehicles and equipment and no room for expansion in either facility.
Additionally, the poor design and layout of each building creates safety hazards for staff, and the facilities for female employees are in a trailer attached to the police station. The existing stations are also both located next to railroad tracks, making them vulnerable to contamination and shut down in the event of a derailment, and passing trains can delay emergency response.
“We want to be completely transparent with our residents about the issues we are experiencing in our current facilities so they understand why the need for a new public safety building is so urgent,” Chief Davis said. “We invite the community to see some of the issues we are talking about, and to ask questions and give their feedback.”
“In order to best serve our community and keep our residents safe, we need the proper resources, which includes adequate facilities,” Chief Robie said. “We want residents to have the opportunity to come to this open house so they can better understand the many reasons that the town needs to fund a new public safety building.”
###