Lt. Gov. Bysiewicz with firefighters at firehouse event.
Rendering of new station
Ceilings crumbling, holes in the wall, and bricks falling. That’s the reality the firefighters at “Station 2” in South Hamden have had to deal with for decades — but a change is now in sight.
Hamden Mayor Lauren Garrett announced Tuesday that the state had approved sending $8.3 million to the town to build a new firehouse on Putnam Avenue to replace the current firehouse, which was built on Circular Drive more than a century ago.
Garrett was joined by Governor Ned Lamont, Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz, State Senate Pro Tempore Martin Looney, Hamden State House Rep. Robyn Porter, and Hamden Legislative Council President Dominique Baez for the announcement.
“This building that we’re in today is, it’s not it is not suitable for firefighters. It is not suitable for the community it serves,” said Garrett. “So we are going to build a state-of-the-art new firehouse over on Putnam Avenue for southern Hamden and have a nice facility for our firefighters.”
The South Hamden fire station, or “Station 2,” was originally built in 1908, when Hamden still had a volunteer fire department. Since then, the building has basically remained the same, meaning that it doesn’t hold many of the modern features firefighters require to do their jobs.
The basement.
The station, which once won an award for worst fire station in the state, has three floors. However, the top floor, which used to serve as a social club for the volunteer firefighters, is currently abandoned due to large holes in the ceiling as well as broken flooring.
The basement has been converted into a living space and makeshift training area that horrified the elected officials in attendance.
“The people here are A+, but this building is a solid D‑,” Lamont told the firefighters.
“I hate to call that space downstairs a living space, and I will say its deeply disappointing for us to have left you all with this space. It is a disservice to all of you firefighters and South Hamden,” said Bysiewicz.
The building of a new station has been discussed for more than 50 years.
According to Hamden Fire Chief Gary Merwede (pictured), mayoral administrations as far back as the 1970s presented architectural plans for a new Station 2. When planning for the new station began 50 years ago, the station would receive roughly 4,800 calls annually; today the station receives 10,000 calls per year, with fewer firefighters. The current crew consists of five firefighters and two officers per shift serving the most densely populated part of Hamden today.
“I worked at this station for 10 years when I first started in Hamden in ‘94,” said Merwede. “I was told then to pick a locker but not get comfortable because we’d be moving soon … and I guess here we are 30 years later, and it’s finally coming true.”
The town originally asked the State Bond Commission for $4.3 million for the project. Then they asked amount to be doubled due to inflation and rising costs as well as the hopes of building a state-of-the-art station.
“I want to thank you all for the work you’ve done on making this dream come true for my district,” State Rep. Robyn Porter told the elected officials around her. “South Hamden is historically disenfranchised, marginalized, and desperately underserved. And it’s time we put our money where our mouth is. And that is exactly what we have done.”
The training tower.
The new station will include a climate control and air purification system. It will include space for four ladder rescue fire trucks, separate living quarters for every firefighter, a commercial kitchen, gear isolation quarters, and a four-story training tower that will include spaces for firefighters to rappel down buildings as well as create simulations of real fires. The new building will also include EV charging ports in anticipation of the firetruck fleet being converted to all-electric in the coming decade.
According to Hamden Engineer Stephen White, the formal groundbreaking for the new site is expected sometime in 2024.
For the next two years, the town must approve the necessary permits and designs to build the station which is a slightly extended process compared to building a regular building due to special capabilities that a fire station requires to be fully functional.
The town currently projects for the building to be completed by mid-2026.
Just another instance of the state's Democratic leadership rewarding the irresponsible. Other towns pay for their own fire stations, but mismanaged and horribly governed Hamden is rewarded with money taken from residents of other towns.