Danbury FD looks to buy land

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http://www.newstimeslive.com/news/story.ph...p;source=tabbox

DANBURY – The city is negotiating for an acre of land next to the Fire Department headquarters on New Street that could one day help the department expand.

"It’s a no-brainer for me," Fire Chief Geoffrey Herald said. "Our building is beginning to show its age."

The Common Council agreed Aug. 7 to negotiate for the 1.16 acres of land on New Street. AT&T owns the land, which sits behind the AT&T building at the corner of New Street and West Street.

Negotiations have just started and no one will discuss the price this early in the process, Boughton said.

The fire headquarters on New Street opened in 1969, and Herald said it was designed to meet the needs of a late-1960s department. He said a lot has changed in firefighting since then.

Also, the department has more pieces of equipment today than it had in 1969.

The department stores much of its equipment on lawns near the headquarters, and some is stored in a hanger at Danbury Municipal Airport.

On one side of headquarters, next to the parking lot, is a utility trailer holding equipment for trench rescues. Next to that is a trailer holding the department’s wilderness four-wheel vehicle, used to drive people into the woods or to a distant pond to rescue someone. Next in line is a new hazardous materials truck.

"We’ve only had it a few weeks and we don’t have a spot for it," Herald said.

Behind the building is a former Danbury High School portable classroom the department uses for storage. On the other side of the building is another storage pod and an assistant chief’s van.

The interior of fire headquarters is cramped, too. Next to the boilers in the boiler room is weightlifting equipment. Next to that are a washer and dryer. Next to that is an ice machine.

The crowding doesn’t mean the department will get a new building in the next year or two.

"What we’ll have to do is look at the department’s future expansion needs," Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton said.

In the meantime, the city can use the land next to fire headquarters to maintain and store fire department equipment, Boughton said.

The city renovated Engine 25 in 2006 after roughly 30 years of cramped conditions at the King Street Volunteer Fire Department.

The paid department will open a new fire station, Engine 26, in September to cover the city’s west side.

"It’s advisable for the city to at least negotiate for this land," Tom Saadi, Democratic Caucus leader of the common council, said about the AT& T property.

"If we don’t do this, 20 years from now when we’re talking about expanding the department, we’ll be kicking ourselves for doing nothing. We can find a municipal purpose for this land downtown."