Money for Orleans fire station design approved. But what did town meeting say about it?

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21-05-2025

ORLEANS — Town meeting voters approved spending $4.5 million to pay for a design of a new fire and rescue station.
The vote was 352 to 134. It must also pass at the annual town election on May 20 to move forward.
Town meeting was held on Monday, May 12, at the gymnasium of Nauset Regional Middle School to decide 36 articles.
The current 1987-built fire station is too cramped, outdated, and is not up to today's safety standards, operational demands, or space requirements for fire and rescue services, according to town officials.
Fire Chief Geof Deering named air quality, lack of appropriate male and female spaces, inadequate space for equipment and personnel, and no training space among the problems with the current station. He showed photos to showcase the building's problems, including the station's first aid room that doubles as the public lobby.
Maxine Minkoff, a former principal of Nauset Regional Middle School, said she supported a new fire station, but was concerned about the location being too close to Orleans Elementary School. Officials have said the new station will be at 58 Eldredge Park Way where the current station is.
"It doesn't take that much for elementary school kids to get distracted. You put fire engines, fire sirens, and all kinds of traffic there and it makes it very hard to continue with very fine education the kids in Orleans are getting right now," said Minkoff during town meeting.
The funding, if approved, will pay to hire architects, an owner's project manager, and other related costs. After the design is complete, a proposal for a full construction would be presented to voters at a future town meeting.
Select Board Chairman Mark W. Mathison said the exact location of a new station cannot be determined until the town hires an architect and design firm to come up with a plan.
"We're asking for the design of a fire station and until we know really how big it is and how it can truly be configured we won't know where it fits on that property. We can't say it's going to be 137 feet from anything because we don't know that yet," said Mathison.
In other business at town meeting, residents voted to support spending $40.5 million to fund the third phase of construction for the Lakes and Ponds Sewer Area Project in the area of Crystal Lake, Pilgrim Lake, Lonnie's Pond, Arey's Pond, and Namequoit River.
Voters also approved spending $5 million to design and build solar projects at the wastewater treatment facility on Overland Way, the water treatment facility off Route 28, and the Department of Public Works facility on Giddiah Hill Road.
Both of these articles will also need to pass during the annual town election on May 20.
Zane Razzaq writes about housing and real estate. Reach her at [e-mail]. Follow her on X @zanerazz.
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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Orleans town meeting results: Fire station, sewer, solar, more