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Downtown Fire Station Reuse
The Town is currently investing in a major streetscape project in the downtown area. This includes undergrounding of utilities, paving, new sidewalks, and lighting and placemaking areas. It has also invested in a brand new public safety building which will open Spring 2023. The addition of this new building leaves empty space to fill in a premier location in the center of downtown.
The Town decided to reach out to the public to see if there was any interest in reusing the site that includes the Fire and Police Stations. The hope continues to be to find a use that will add to the vibrancy of the downtown area, drawing in visitors and providing residents with a reason to visit the downtown area. The Town envisions this parcel as an active gathering space for the community as well as visitors. The property could potentially house a commercial entity such as a restaurant, coffee shop, brewery, retail shop, cultural destination etc. that would draw people to the Downtown and contribute to economic revitalization.
The Town advertised for a Request for Interest (RFI) this winter that included both the Fire and Police Stations. The responses to the RFI can be found below. A feedback tool was sent out to the community which showed support to lease the Fire Station. An RFP was then crafted and is now live on the Town website.
It is important to note that the Town is requiring that the exterior of the fire station is preserved for historic purposes. The Town would like to see additional public parking in this area to support the increase of commercial use. It is the hope to find someone to revitalize this parcel so that it becomes an active and vibrant space in the very near future.
To read the latest press release in regards to this project CLICK HERE.
CLICK HERE to access the BID Documents for the Request for Proposals (RFP).
Public Forum
On January 25th 2023 a public forum was held to review the interest submitted by groups looking to invest in this parcel. Public feedback was requested.
CLICK HERE to review the power point presentation from the forum.
CLICK HERE to watch the recording of the forum.
CLICK HERE to review the results from the feedback tool.
Request for Interest (RFI)
CLICK HERE to review a copy of the Request for Interest (RFI) that was posted October 2023-December 2023.
The Buildings....
The Fire Station
The Fire Station, located at 151 Main Street was built in 1927 and served as the main fire station in Ashland prior to a new building at Cedar Street. The building is approximately 7,500 square feet and the dimensions of the building are approximately 50 ft x 47 ft. The front concrete apron and the handicapped access ramp are in good condition. The paving of the parking area at the rear and the sides of the building is in fair to poor condition. The building has brick and mortar exterior walls which are in good condition and show signs of repointing in many areas. Windows have thermal glass and are wood framed with a vinyl cover. The windows are in good condition. The roof was replaced in 2006 with an EPDM rubber and is in excellent condition. The apparatus bay doors are metalthermal panel with thermal glass and are in good condition. 5 The apparatus garage is equipped with a PlymoVent system to eject truck engine gases from the building. There are floor drains in the garage area that work well. The drains are connected to an oil and gas separator trap which drains into the Town sewer system. The apparatus bays are heated by two ceiling hung gas-fired heating units. These units are self-contained forced hot air units. The floor, wall and ceiling finishes are in fair to poor condition. The second story floor has a hardwood floor which is in good condition. The plumbing fixtures are in good to fair condition throughout the building. The building’s hot water is provided by two 75-gallon gas fueled hot water heaters located in the basement. Heat is supplied to the basement and ground floor office and lavatory by a gas fired hot-air furnace located in the basement. HVAC is provided to the second floor by a roof mounted gas/electric AC handling unit, which is in good condition. Many lighting fixtures have been replaced with efficient T-8 fluorescent fixtures.
The Police Station
The Police Station, located at 137 Main Street was built in 1978. The paved driveways are in fair to poor condition with cracks and patched areas. The dimensions of the building are approximately 66 ft x 63 ft for the main building and the garage is 32ft x 21 ft. The building has brick and block exterior walls and is built on a concrete slab. The exterior mortar joints are in good condition and there are only a few areas that have some deterioration of mortar. The roof is a standing seam copper roof which is in good condition. Roof flashings are also in good condition. The windows are non-opening and have thick bullet resistant glass. Windows are in good condition; however, they are very narrow and do not allow much natural light into the building. The overhead garage door is in fair condition. The facility has some access barriers that will need to be corrected should any major renovation or addition take place. The interior walls are painted cement masonry block. The floor covering is mainly vinyl tile that may contain asbestos. The ceilings are drop ceilings. The original drop ceiling has a concealed metal grid system. Most plumbing fixtures are original and in good to fair condition. Hot water is provided by the boiler through an indirect heat/storage tank that is in excellent condition. The HVAC system has a new high efficiency hot water boiler and zone pumps located on the second floor loft. The system is in excellent condition. The heat is provided by a gas fueled boiler. Heat is distributed through a multiple-zoned system which uses baseboards, fan coil units, radiant heat located in the concrete floors, and two small air handlers. Air conditioning is provided by two DX compressors located outside, feeding the two small air handlers. Although parts of the HVAC system are new, the air flow throughout the building is poor since areas of the building have been modified for different uses. Some of the original ceilings have been lowered. Along with the property there are 21 parking spaces.