ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
Saugus firefighter William Cross is advocating for a third fire station on the west side of town.
By BRIDGET TURCOTTE
SAUGUS — As the amount of residential and commercial properties grow, the town needs to increase public safety resources to cover it, said veteran firefighter William Cross.
Cross, the union president of Saugus Firefighters Local #1003, is advocating for a third fire station to cover the west side of town with easy access to Route 1 North and South. It’s a fight he said dates back to the early 1970s under former Fire Chief Thomas Nolan, but is even more crucial today with the mixed-use developments planned for Route 1.
Essex Landing, a $120 million development under construction at the former Route 1 Miniature Golf & Batting Cages, will include 250 apartment units, two hotels, shops and restaurants. AvalonBay Properties is proposing 280 apartment units and 24,000 square feet of retail space at the former Hilltop Steak House site. WoodSpring Suites will be constructed at the former Cap World Truck Accessories & Trailers site at 832 Broadway this year. The $9 million hotel will be a four-story building with 122 rooms, each with a kitchenette.
“What it comes down to is Saugus has outgrown its fire department,” Cross said. “We are stuck in the past. Every town department from A to Z has grown with the town, but not the Fire Department. With all the new building going on, we feel the growth should be reflected in the department.
“We are the biggest cut-through town on the North Shore,” said Cross. “For every minute we don’t put water on a fire, it doubles in size. When someone needs CPR, or needs any of the many skills that first responders bring to the scenes, the extra minutes it takes to get there, that’s taking away from a person’s chance at living. Every minute matters.”
Traffic congestion, especially when school is released in the afternoons, is a major concern, he said.
Former Town Meeting Moderator Robert Long, who served for 18 years, said a capital improvement program was approved by Town Meeting in 1995. The town voted to have a debt exclusion for $20 million to fund the construction of the Public Safety Building on Hamilton Street, Saugus Public Library, Senior Center, Department of Public Works building, and renovations to Town Hall. Finally, $500,000 was set aside for a West Side Fire Station, Long said.
“It had been envisioned as a two-bay engine house,” he said.
One bay would house a fast response engine and the other, either an ambulance or police car.
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Under former Town Manager Steven Angelo, a house was purchased beside the Oaklandvale Elementary School for about $160,000 to be used as a fire station property, Long said. Both he and Cross question why the location was chosen.
Studies in the ’70s and in the’90s determined the best location would be on Lynn Fells Parkway near Target and the entrance to Breakheart Reservation, Cross said. He believes the town could sell the Main Street home for double the purchase price.
In 2003, Cross sponsored three Town Meeting articles in an effort to bring the new station to fruition. A debt exclusion for a new ladder truck and a second debt exclusion for a new, $500,000 firehouse both passed. A third article for a Proposition 2 ½ override to fund the hiring of 12 new firefighters failed.
“It probably would have passed if the firehouse was on the ground and folks could see it,” said Long.
Cross argued that the current staff could man the station as more firefighters are gradually hired.
“It comes down to putting money where your mouth is and finding ways to fund it,” he said.
While he acknowledged that the town budget is tight, he said he is hoping to put the issue on the town’s radar.
“It’s no surprise that this is coming up again considering the Essex Landing and AvalonBay projects,” said Debra Panetta, chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen. “Public safety is of the utmost importance, and with these large developments being built in our town, people are concerned.”
Town Manager Scott Crabtree did not return calls seeking comment.
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte
