WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The community came together to officially start a construction project, over a decade in the making, that will provide a safer, cleaner future for the town.

 

"What an amazing day today is for Williamstown," Prudential Committee Chairman Dave Moresi said Wednesday during the ceremony. "As a community, we should be proud to witness the groundbreaking of a new state-of-the-art fire station, ensuring that life and property continue to be protected to the highest and best of abilities."

 

The newly constructed 22,000 square foot facility will be built on Main Street, replacing the aging station on Water Street.

 

Chief Craig Pedercini said he first brought the idea to the Prudential Committee some 18 years ago. At that time, the Water Street Station was 56 years old. He said even 18 years ago, the department had outgrown the facility that could not keep up with modern fire fighting needs.

 

"Over the next couple of years, the progress began. Fast forward to today, we stick our shovels in the ground and move forward towards building a state of our fire station for the firefighters of this community," he said. 

 

He said the new facility will have space to operate all of the department's vehicles and equipment safely. He said the new station will have an area to decontaminate gear as well as office, meeting, and training space. He was also happy to say the new facility will have plenty of parking.

 

Speaker State Rep. John Barrett III agreed that the project had been in the works for some time joking that some of the now Prudential Committee members he went to grade school with were talking about it then.