City Announces Upgrades to Columbus Avenue Fire Station, No Interruption to Residents’ Services During Closure
Renovations of the station will begin April 1st to ensure continued fire safety on west end of Pawtucket
PAWTUCKET – The Department of Public Safety has announced upgrades to the Columbus Avenue Fire Station, assuring that the closure will not interrupt residents’ public safety services. The renovations, needed for the health and safety of the city’s firefighters, are expected to begin April 1st and go on for six to eight weeks before the reopening of the station.
The temporary closure will allow for Red Oak Remodeling, the contractor selected in December through a public procurement process that began in October of last year, to repair the roof without impeding on the Fire Department’s ability to run their daily operations. During the roof replacement by Red Oak, the Department of Public Work’s contractor will also be installing new washers and dryers as well as a new fire alarm system with funds obtained from the American Firefighters Grant (AFG). Electrical upgrades will also be completed at the facility.
The Administration, in conjunction with Acting Public Safety Director Police Chief Tina Goncalves and Fire Chief William Sisson, made the decision to close the fire station as it would speed the upgrade process.
“We want to remain open and transparent with our residents so that they are aware of the temporary closure,” said Mayor Grebien. “The upgrades to the Columbus Avenue Fire Station are a long time coming for the benefit of our firefighters. The temporary closure will allow for a quicker turn around on the work being completed. We want to assure the public that the high level of public safety that our community deserves and has received will be maintained as the upgrades are made.”
“Our main priorities are the public safety of our residents, maintaining effective response times, and the health and safety of our firefighters,” said Acting Public Safety Director Police Chief Goncalves. “All of our residents will continue to have the same outstanding coverage from our Fire Department throughout this process.”
In light of the closure, the City will be reallocating engines to ensure the safety on the west end of Pawtucket, increasing the count from two to three engines, in order to ensure the same high level of responsiveness for the residents of Pawtucket.
The City of Pawtucket has proactively been working on numerous infrastructure needs coming from decades of negligence. A 2013 study found that City-owned buildings would require $23 million for repairs. Around the same time, a $30-million-dollar cost was found with the roads that the City has been tackling heavily, with the worst half of the city’s roads repaved. Furthermore, about a quarter of a billion dollars across the city’s multiple school buildings has also been needed.
The upgrades are expected to improve the conditions and operations of the Columbus Avenue Fire Station as the City moves forward to a new state-of-the-art Public Safety Complex within the next three to five years.