Fire Station Building Committee

The Fire Station Building Committee (FSBC) shall be tasked with overseeing the development of program requirements, design, construction, and delivery of a new Fire Station for the Tyngsborough Fire Department. 

The Select Board established the Fire Station Building Committee at their regular meeting on Monday, October 6, 2025.

Project Updates

The Select Board receives updates on the Fire Station Project at each regular Select Board meeting. You can review the most recent update as well as all prior updates by opening the document linked below.

Fire Station Building Committee Updates

Public Outreach

The Fire Station Building Committee will host a series of public outreach events in the months of January and February to ensure that the Community is adequately informed about the purpose of the project, the progress, and has an opportunity to provide critical feedback.

You can view the January 2026 Information Session presentation here.

You can watch the virtual information session below.

Project Background

In October 2020, the Select Board established a “Public Safety Building Study Committee” which was tasked with looking at the advantages, disadvantages, and relative costs of constructing standalone Fire & Police Buildings versus a combined public safety building. Additionally, the  Committee was tasked with looking at site options and presenting a final report to the Select Board outlining a recommended path forward.

In December 2022, the Public Safety Building Study Committee delivered its final report to the Select Board. In that report, the Committee’s final recommendation was that the Select Board work to identify, and acquire if necessary, the land necessary for either standalone buildings or a combined public safety building.

In September 2024, the Town utilized existing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to hire a public safety architecture firm to look at the existing Police & Fire Department buildings and identify what, if any, renovation options exist at each location and to prepare a conditions report to help identify major capital issues that require immediate attention. This report confirmed that the existing building locations are dramatically undersized and that no feasible additional or remodeling option exists for either.

In November 2024, the Select Board directed the Town Manager to work with the Fire and Police Chiefs and the Town’s architecture consultant to identify the best parcel of land for each building, understanding that the Town likely could not afford the construction of a combined public safety building. This process involved meetings with the Chiefs, performing test layouts with the Town’s architect, and other cost and site considerations. In recognition of the fact that FY26 is the first year that taxpayers are seeing the full impact of the debt exclusion for the new middle school, a priority was given to land that the Town already owns to avoid land acquisition costs. At the outset of this process the Town’s consultant had determined that the Town needed a lot with at least 1.67 acres of buildable land to construct a station that would meet the Town’s needs. Additionally, the Town needed to identify a parcel within the Town Center to ensure a prompt emergency response to any location in Town.

With that information in mind, the Town identified the Town-owned parcel of land at 250 Middlesex Road as the best site for a new Fire Station. The Town further confirmed that while the ideal placement would be in place of the existing Winslow School, the project could be accommodated in the rear of the parcel without impacting the existing school building. In all proposals, the Littlefield Library remains untouched and in its current location. There is no other Town-owned parcel in the required area that has enough buildable land.

Leading up to the May 2025 Annual Town Meeting, the Select Board identified the construction of a new fire station as a priority given the size and condition as well as the existence of serious health and safety deficiencies at the existing Kendall Road station.

At Town Meeting in May 2025, the Town authorized borrowing $300,000 for the schematic design of a new Fire Department headquarters. The Town was clear that the intended location was the parcel of land at 250 Middlesex Road.

In August 2025, the Town Manager’s Office issued a Request for Qualifications (“RFQ”) to procure the services of a designer to complete the schematic design. Following a thorough review by the Designer Selection Committee, the Town Manager awarded a contract to H2M Architects + Engineers, a firm with tremendous experience designing public safety buildings across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and beyond.

The Select Board has placed a strong emphasis on this work and included language in their Fiscal Year 2026 goals that this work should be completed as soon as possible, with the goal of potentially asking for final design and construction funding at the May 2026 Annual Town Meeting. At the conclusion of the schematic design process, the Town will also have cost-estimates to present to residents for consideration.

At a joint meeting with the Historical Commission on October 6, 2025, the Select Board directed the Town Manager to move ahead with a new build -- opting to not include any portion of the Winslow School into a new fire station at the 250 Middlesex Road site. 

At the Select Board's meeting on October 20, 2025, it voted to direct the design to assume that the Winslow School would be demolished -- reflecting its view that the best location on the site for a new fire station is in the footprint of the existing school. Funding would be required for the demo and the funding would likely be included in a project budget for the new Fire Station presented to Town Meeting.

Frequently Asked Questions

1) Who has the authority to determine the future of the Winslow School? In Tyngsborough, the Select Board is the Chief Executive Officer of the Town. They have control over all land and facilities that are not under the jurisdiction of another Board such as the School Committee. In the case of the Winslow School, that building falls under the jurisdiction of the Select Board and therefore it is the Select Board that can determine what if anything happens to the Winslow School.

2) What role does the Community Preservation Committee play in the future of the Winslow School? The Community Preservation Committee (CPC) is the board that has authority over use of the Town’s Community Preservation Funds. They review requests for use of the funding that meets certain criteria and recommend or do not recommend it to Town Meeting. If the CPC votes favorably on a request, it then goes to Town Meeting for consideration. As it relates to the Winslow School, the CPC jurisdiction ends at determining whether or not the use of CPC funds for any project at the Winslow School is appropriate and then sending the request to Town Meeting for approval. The CPC does not have authority over the future of the school or any building in the way that the Select Board does.

3) What can CPC funds be used on? CPC funds can be used to support historic preservation, open space & recreation projects, and affordable housing. CPC funding could be used to restore the Winslow School (subject to availability) but could not be used for things like maintenance, utilities, or staffing.

4) Is the Winslow School on the Massachusetts Register of Historic Places & does that mean it can’t be modified or demolished? Yes, the Winslow School was added to the Massachusetts Register of Historic Places by the Town in 2017. This list is symbolic only. Listing a building on the register does not limit its future modification or demolition. It does, however, help earn favorable points when applying for certain historic preservation grants. In order for the building to be protected from future changes or demolition, it would need to have a Historic Preservation Deed Restriction filed on it which would require favorable action by the Select Board and Town Meeting. That process occurred in 2018 for the Littlefield Library but not for the Winslow School.

5)  What Town uses were previously explored at the Winslow School and do we have cost estimates for a full restoration? In 2022, the Town looked at using the Winslow School as a new Town Hall and converting the old Town Hall into a Police Station. This was one of a few options explored as a part of the exploration of a new Public Safety Building project. At the time, the cost to restore the old Winslow School and convert it into a Town Hall was estimated to be $13.1M. Given the cost and the fact that the focus needed to be on a new fire station, this concept was abandoned.The cost estimate for this work can be found here. It is reasonable to expect that any full restoration of this building would cost at least $13M based on those estimates

6) Were any non-town uses considered? Yes, beginning in 2018, the Town released two Request for Proposals (RFPs) seeking leases with private entities who would be required to maintain the look of the Winslow School but could lease the building for private, commerical uses. The only interest that was generated was housing which isn't supporteed by the Town Center Master Plan and would require signficant building changes that would impact any remaining historical elements of the school. The town rejected all proposals. 

7) Why was the 250 Middlesex Road Parcel identified as the best parcel for a new Fire Station? In looking at a parcel for the new Fire Station, the Board prioritized parcels that were already owned by the Town to avoid adding acquisition costs to the project. Any future building project would need to be funded exclusively by a debt-exclusion vote which means a direct tax impact on residents. To be mindful of the impact, the Board directed the Town Manager to focus on land we already owned. Additionally, the land needed to be in the Town Center at the urging of the Fire Chief to ensure that fire apparatus had a timely response to any area in Town. This stems from the fact that the headquarters is the only staffed station and all emergency responses originate from the headquarters. Finally, the parcel needed to have at least 1.67 acres of buildable land to accommodate the size of a station we’d need plus parking and driveways. The Winslow School parcel met all of these criteria and the Town was clear that this was the preferred site prior to the Town Meeting vote in May 2025 which authorized the funding for the schematic design.

8) Is there any other Town-owned parcel that works? No. The only other Town-owned parcel that meets any of the criteria is a parcel of land located at 292 Middlesex Road. That parcel has a total of 2 acres but when you apply the 50’ wetlands buffer where buildings are not permitted, you eliminate half of the site. Your further shrink the buildable land by applying the 100’ buffer which could allow some development but with additional requirements and setbacks. Additionally, the site is subject to a MassDEP Brownfields determination which requires the site be cleaned up prior to any potential uses. The Town was awarded a Brownfields’ grant from the Commonwealth to begin the process but as a part of that grant the Town is expected to attempt to redevelop the parcel for economic development unless it opted to bear the cost to clean up the site on its own. The clean-up could take an additional two-years or more. With that in mind, the only two criteria it meets are that it is town-owned and that it is close to the Town Center. For the reasons outlined above, however, the Town and its architect determined that this site did not work for a new Fire Station.

The image below highlights the wetland delineation described above. The parcel is outlined by a gold line. The darker green marker shows the 50’ no buildings buffer and how that effectively closes off half of the parcel. The lighter green shows the 100’ buffer.

Committee Charge - Adopted 10/6/2025

The FSBC shall represent the Select Board on all matters related to the design, construction, and delivery of a new Fire Station for the Tyngsborough Fire Department. 

Schematic Design: During the schematic design phase, the FSBC shall work with the Town’s designer, as selected by the Designer Selection Committee and the Town Manager to complete the schematic design for a new Fire Station. The Committee shall meet regularly with the schematic designer to shape the schematic design of the new fire station. The FSBC shall, at regular intervals, provide updates to the Select Board through formal reports and joint meetings as necessary.

Town Meeting Approval: Upon the completion of the schematic design, the FSBC shall work with the Select Board to engage in a public awareness campaign surrounding Town Meeting action to consider the funding of the next phases of the project which shall include final design, construction documents, and construction. This phase may include hosting public forums and other forms of public outreach.

Owner’s Project Manager: Upon approval of funding for final design and construction, the FSBC shall be responsible, with assistance from the Town Manager’s Office in accordance with applicable laws, selecting an Owner’s Project Manager (OPM) to manage the design and construction of the project. Throughout the duration of the project, the FSBC shall be the reporting authority for the OPM and shall direct the OPM on behalf of the Town.

Final Design: Upon receipt of funding for the final design, the FSBC shall work with the selected architect and the OPM to complete the design in accordance with the program needs and in the Town’s best interest. The FSBC shall, at regular intervals, provide updates to the Select Board through formal reports and joint meetings as necessary.

Construction: During the construction phase of the project, the FSBC shall oversee and direct the efforts of the OPM and meet with the OPM and project team at regular intervals to review progress, address any issues, review and/or approve change orders and manage all aspects of the construction on behalf of the Select Board.

Financial Oversight: The FSBC shall, during the final design & construction phase, review and approve all project invoices and ensure the project remains aligned with the project budget. The FSBC shall be responsible for providing regular updates to the Select Board and Finance Committee on the project’s financial status.

Download the Committee Charge here.