Area residents took advantage of the opportunity to voice their opinions on the proposed placement of a new fire station at the 515 Somerville Ave. location recommended by Mayor Curtatone and Fire Department officials.

By Josie Grove

The Finance Committee, Committee of the Whole, of the Board of Aldermen held a public hearing on Monday, July 6, addressing the proposal requesting an Order of Taking of real estate property at 515 Somerville Ave. to provide for the relocation of the Fire Department from its current facility in Union Square.

In the controversy surrounding the proposed fire station at 515 Somerville Ave., Alderman Maryann Heuston’s priorities are clear: “What’s best for public safety and response times in Ward 2 and Ward 3.” Heuston represents Ward 2, which includes the fire station’s potential location. It will be several months before the aldermen decide on the proposal from the city administration to buy the property via eminent domain. The Board of Aldermen voted last week to keep the proposal in committee while they collected more information.

The fire station has inspired a vocal opposition, organized into a group called Save Spring Hill. Last week, this group and other neighbors packed the Aldermanic Chambers for a public hearing on the matter, with several people speaking for and against the fire station. Heuston said this was the most hotly contested issue she has seen at City Hall in almost ten years.

Opponents of the fire station are concerned about how it would affect their homes and businesses. Many opponents live and work very near the site, and worry that a fire station would cause their property values to decrease, and that it would fail to draw people into the area. Mayor Joseph Curtatone denied that property values decreased around fire stations. “People’s investments are sound,” he said. “Any property available in the city, there’s a line out the door of people who want to purchase it.”

Save Spring Hill’s leaders own a business on the same block of Somerville Ave. “Many of us live near the property and are concerned about our property values and quality of life, but our concerns are shared throughout the city,” reads the group’s website.

At the public hearing, traffic on Somerville Ave. was the chief concern for opponents of the fire station. Several people believed that traffic would adversely affect response times, despite assurances from Fire Chief Patrick Sullivan. Alderman Heuston pushed back against the idea that there would be a less-busy location for the fire station. “Where in Somerville is there not a lot of traffic?” she asks.

Alderman Heuston said she has received about the same number of comments on both sides of the issue. “It’s running about fifty-fifty,” she said, noting that some neighbors would rather have a fire station than a residential development. “Some people supporting it are a little skeptical about what’s going to be there instead of a fire station,” said Heuston, pointing out that a large residential building could create as much noise and traffic as a fire station.

Tom Ross, President of Firefighters Local 76, supports the proposal. He said that the fire department needs more space to accommodate equipment, and to train firefighters. “This is a terrific opportunity to make these improvements,” said Ross of the city’s proposal.

Jay Colbert, Secretary-Treasurer of the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts, echoed Ross’ calls for more infrastructure, and supported a fire station at 515 Somerville Ave. “Public safety in this city is a challenge. Fighting fires in this city is a big challenge,” he said, citing the density and bad traffic throughout Somerville. “We need infrastructure improvements, and this is the perfect locale for that.”

Those improvements will not come quickly. The Board of Aldermen voted last Tuesday to keep the proposal in committee, neither accepting nor rejecting it. “We’re going to have to weigh a lot of factors,” said Heuston. “Nothing is going to move very quickly with this fire station.”

One of the things that will take the most time is the matrix study .The city will use this study to determine the best place for a fire station based on response times. “I am very much interested in getting that study,” said Heuston. “One of my primary concerns will be what is best for response times. I think public health and public safety comes first in my mind. You have to make decisions based on those considerations.”

The Board of Aldermen will discuss the matter this fall. Somerville residents who want to make their voices heard still have a chance. “I’m still taking phone calls,” said Heuston.

Representatives of Save Spring Hill did not return repeated calls for comments in this article.