Bedford Street site selected for potential new Lakeville fire station

LAKEVILLE — Select Board members unanimously selected a portion of Bedford Street at Ted Williams Camp as the best location for a new fire station.

The location was deemed the best fit in terms of accessibility because the site offers direct access to Route 18, which is extremely important, said Fire Chief Michael O’Brien. “The closer we are to the main road, the better we can do our jobs,” O’Brien stated. 

Three potential sites were evaluated by the architectural firm Saccoccio and Associates of Cranston, R.I. All of them were located at Ted Williams camp. 

The other two possible locations received lower scores from the firm because of the logistical problems they posed and concerns with wetlands in the area.

The site selected would need water and septic systems to be extended from the police department, the architect said, which would be the only downfall.

The Fire Station Building Committee voted to approve the architect’s endorsement of the Bedford Street location at a March 19 meeting. Select Board member Lorraine Carboni, who also sits on the building committee, noted that this site “made sense” given the needs of the fire department. 

To accommodate those needs, the architect estimates that the new facility will be about 24,000 square feet. Supporters of the new building say the current structure doesn’t have enough space and has outdated facilities. 

Voters at a future Town Meeting will be asked to fund a design study and construction of the new facility. Those amounts are not yet available.