Ambrosino wants city to sell fire stations, councilor seeks preservation of one

REVERE – Mayor Thomas Ambrosino thinks preserving the Pleasant Street police station to ease City Hall overcrowding may make sense, but he remains at odds with City Councilors over plans for two closed fire stations.The 99-year-old police station closed last month, along with the Walden Street and Beachmont fire stations.Ambrosino wants the city to sell the two fire stations but Ward 1 Councilor James Kimmerle wants Beachmont station preserved for future city use much like Point of Pines fire station.He thinks street widths in Beachmont and the density of residential neighborhoods requires a Fire Department presence in the neighborhood. Ambrosino said the “expectation was always to close and sell that station.”He said proceeds from the station sales will help build the city’s financial reserve and reduce the debt on borrowing it has undertaken to pay for construction projects, including the new stations.”In the end,” he reminded councilors last February, “the Council alone will determine the disposition of these properties.”Kimmerle and his colleagues will probably ask the mayor and city Planner Frank Stringi to brief them on plans for the stations at the July 28 council meeting.Councilor at Large Daniel Rizzo proposed creating additional City Hall parking on the old police station site. He said businesses on Broadway also need more off street parking. Ambrosino agrees with councilors who recommend preserving the station to provide additional space for municipal offices.”City Hall is short on space. I don’t think that is an unreasonable concern,” he said.Stringi told councilors in June that city zoning ordinances permit a variety of uses on the Pleasant Street station site including medical or day care centers, schools and general retail and office use.The ordinances permit similar uses on the Walden Street and Beachmont sites. Residential construction is also permitted at both locations.The city could solicit requests for developing the station sites and specify in the requests the type of development that could be built on the sites.