FS1 Steering Committee Community Forum - July 29, 2026

The Westwood Media Center Programming hosted a community forum on July 29, 2026, focused on the FS1 fire station replacement project. The meeting detailed the challenges with the existing fire station, the new right-sized building program, and the three potential sites under consideration: the current High Street location, the Deerfield Avenue site, and a site behind Starbucks. The project team, including the architect from KBA, presented preliminary designs and cost estimates, highlighting a reduction in building size and efforts to maintain firefighter safety and operational efficiency. Cost estimates ranged around $41.6 million to $44.9 million depending on the site, with considerations for temporary operations and site-specific challenges such as topography and zoning variances. The select board planned to vote on ballot language for a debt exclusion to fund the project in early August, ahead of the FS1 committee's final site recommendation. Public engagement was emphasized, with multiple forums, surveys, and ongoing communication efforts to inform residents. Questions from the public addressed site impacts, environmental concerns, financial planning including use of free cash and borrowing capacity, and operational policies. The project is expected to proceed through schematic design with a refined budget and scope presented to voters in the fall, with construction anticipated to complete by 2029.