RTM Paves Way For Demolition of Greenwich's Central Fire House

Despite an appeal from members of the Greenwich Preservation Trust to renovate the historic building, the Representative Town Meeting on Monday upheld a decision of the Planning & Zoning Commission allowing for the demolition of the Central Fire House at 15 Havemeyer Place, thus paving the way for the construction of a new, code-compliant fire station on the property.

Basically the RTM vote upholds the P&Z Commission’s previous decision to grant “Municipal Improvement” status to the fire station construction project, which can be viewed as Phase Two of the town’s state-of-the-art emergency services facility in downtown Greenwich. Phase One of the plan, involving the construction of a new public safety complex (i.e. police headquarters), was completed two years ago.

Phase two will involve razing the 1937 firehouse — which abuts the new police station — and building a new one, thus creating two modern and complementary facilities. “Municipal Improvement,” or “MI” is a special designation that P&Z gives to projects that are deemed to be of importance to the town.

At the center of the debate is whether the plan to raze the old fire station — — is in keeping with the Town Plan of development. Those who oppose demolition argue that it is not, since the Town Plan calls for the preservation of historic buildings. Those who support the construction of a new fire station, on the other hand, argue that Town Plan also calls for the development of infrastructure that will improve the quality of life for Greenwich residents — including modern fire stations. They point out that the current station is nearly “obsolete,” in terms of supporting modern day equipment and operations. What’s more, renovating the old fire station has been estimated to cost about $9 million more than building a new one.

“The [Town Plan of Development] tells us repeatedly to protect our historic and cultural resources,” said Josephine Conboy, a member of the Greenwich Preservation Trust who spearheaded the fire station preservation effort, during the meeting. “We are here this evening to advocate for the preservation of our Central Fire House. This building is part of the municipal historic district and further is on the National Register of Historic places.”

“Would the town tolerate the destruction of the old post office, old town hall, or the old Havemeyer building, which are all in this historic district?” Conboy asked rhetorically. “The town must lead by example. If the building no longer works for the fire department, then we should find a new use for the Central Fire House.”

Greenwich Preservation Trust member Joe Kantorski said the “historically significant structure… should not be demolished; it should be preserved.” He, too, called on the town to find a new use for the building — and to build the new fire station on another property.

“To demolish the central firehouse would be to deny its historical and cultural relevance in the worst possible way,” Kantorski said. “A large part of what makes out town so special is that we’ve had the foresight and the good sense over the years to preserve our historic and landmark structures.”

Kantorski said the plan to demolish the fire station is at odds with the Town Plan, which says to preserve historic structures whenever possible. He pointed out that there are six buildings in the downtown historic district — including the old town hall, the current town hall, the Havemeyer building, the post office and the old Mason Street School — spanning from 1893 to 1937.

“They speak to us every day, about our past, and our passage from a farming community to a town that had indeed arrived,” Kantorski said. “They are solid expressions of great civic pride that I believe we must preserve. Four are examples of adaptive reuse — in fact the old Mason Street School has been adapted no less than four times since its construction since 1905. We can do this, if we have the will to do it.”

Paul Pugliese, also a member of Greenwich Preservation Trust, presented a plan the group made for an "alternate location" for the new fire station. He imposed the new fire station plan on the Island Beach municipal parking lot, showing the orientation of the building and its features.

Richard Newman, Assistant Chief at the Central Fire House and a member of RTM District 11, however, noted a major flaw with Pugliese’s plan:

“Our fire truck does not fit up this road,” Newman said, pointing to Steamboat Road, where the rough plan had the fire station’s main bays facing. Newman said this would cause major response delays for the department, which covers calls all over town.

Greenwich Fire Chief Peter J. Siecienski said “not only will building a new facility cost $9 million less than renovating the old building, the town will also stand to reap the efficiencies a new building will bring.”

“A basic quality of life issue is for our residents to feel secure in their homes and businesses,” Siecienski said. “That conforms with the Town Plan: Preserve the integrity of our districts…”

Siecienski said the town’s fire stations “are the hubs of our districts.”

“These fire stations are the hubs of our community – the Central Fire House is the hub, the safe house, the neighbor of the central district,” he said. “We are in Central Greenwich, and that station is our identity.”

One argument made by proponents of building a new fire station is that the old facility isn’t built to the specifications that the town wants.

“This is a building that I want standing in the face of a disaster,” Siecienski said. “[The proposed new facility] is the one I want our responders to respond out of — and it’s the one that I want members of the community to know will be there, when there’s an event. We have an opportunity here to move forward with a building that will create efficiencies.”

Doug Wells, chairman of the RTM Legislative and Rules Committee, said while the Town Plan does call for the preservation of historic buildings, it also must to take into account “certain engineering and design realities” when redesigning facilities such as firehouses.

“I’d like to thank the Greenwich Preservation and Trust for bringing these issues to the attention of the RTM – they’ve addressed a legitimate concern because the town should always be made aware of alternatives to the demolition of our landmark buildings,” Wells said. “However our committee feels that the functionality of a fire station is far more important than the preservation of a historic building. We cannot hamstring our fire department from doing its job efficiently.”

The RTM voted 165 to 20, with five abstentions, to uphold “MI” status for the project.

The RTM vote was last legislative hurdle to approve the estimated $20 million project, which has been greenlighted for "MI" status by the Board of Selectmen and the Planning and Zoning Commission since May.

The town is planning to relocate Central Fire House staff and equipment to a temporary facility to be erected on a portion of the Horseneck Lane commuter parking lot, across from the Boys & Girls Club, this fall.

Fire officials have said the move is necessary because the building, at the corner of Havemayer Place and Mason Street, continues to decay as rain seeps through the limestone facade, causing the plaster interior to peel and crumble.

Earlier this year, the RTM approved $2 million for the relocation of the station, staff and equipment to the temporary site, and for the design of the new headquarters.