Op-Ed: Urges Community Support for New EMS Building

At Easton EMS, we are proud to have served this community by providing emergency medical services for 78 years. Last year, we responded to 588 calls for service with an average response time of 8.14 minutes.  We take our role as Easton’s first medical response team very seriously, and we are honored so many of our neighbors in town have supported our fundraising efforts over the years. 

I’m writing today to update you on the progress we are making on critical improvements to our EMS headquarters. As most of you know, the town is in the process of renovating the current Emergency Medical Services building, located at the intersection of Route 59 and Center Road, which has been our home since 1988. The view while simply driving by should make it clear why Easton EMS needs a new home. What you cannot see is the failing septic system, the chunks of ceiling that are literally falling into the living spaces, the lack of handicap access, and the steel support bracket that came crashing through the ceiling into our training room. Luckily, no one was injured.

For many years, Easton EMS searched for another location to build a new EMS headquarters. A building committee formed in April 2022 looked at town and privately owned land. The committee was unable to find a new location that both suited our needs and fit our budget so that Easton taxpayers would not have to shoulder an enormous burden for a new building. As recently as last year, an outside consultant thought an addition to the firehouse might suit EMS’s housing needs, so another building committee was formed in May 2023 to investigate that option.

After careful study they concluded it would be less expensive to renovate the existing EMS building than to build an addition onto the firehouse. The committee presented a plan to renovate our current building to the Board of Finance who approved the plan, establishing a building capital fund on Oct. 3, 2023. The Board of Selectmen voted to endorse funding the plan as well at their March 21, 2024 meeting.

Part of the plan includes purchasing the lot adjacent to our current building to extend our currently inadequate septic system and bring it up to health code requirements. The additional lot will also make it possible for us to enter and exit the garage more safely. Currently our ambulances exit the building directly onto Sport Hill Road (Route 59) with limited sight lines and very little room between the garage door and the road. Our ambulances have impaired visibility when exiting for calls and when they return, they must back up across Route 59, which can create a dangerous situation given motor vehicle traffic, particularly in the dark and during bad weather.

Too many times cars traveling down Sport Hill have nearly collided with our ambulances while they are backing into the bay. Acquiring the adjacent land will facilitate a rearrangement of the garages so that the ambulances can pull in and out safely from the south side of the building. The outer walls of the building will remain intact and be rehabilitated, while the inside will be repurposed and rebuilt.

Working with town officials and a bipartisan group of legislators, EMS and the town submitted a request to the state to fund the site work. This includes the land purchase, the septic work, and garage access/parking changes. In December 2023, the Governor’s Commission granted the town $396,270 for this portion of the project. Overall funding for the new EMS headquarters, with a predesign estimated cost of $3.7 million, comes from four sources:

1. The state grant for $396,270.
2. Covid relief money (ARPA funds) of which the town holds roughly $2 million.
3. Easton Volunteer EMS donations of $700,000.
4. The Board of Finance, which would be a request for the remaining balance of $1 million.

Our goal is to minimize direct taxpayer expenses. Easton EMS has worked for decades to raise donations through countless different fundraising programs. Thank you to our generous donors! The town is finalizing the paperwork for the state to make its first payment from the awarded grant. One can imagine that as in any transaction with the state, this is a lengthy process.

The first selectman has concluded negotiations with the seller of the adjacent lot, which the town is purchasing. As part of that agreement the town will be able to do extensive environmental testing above and beyond the comprehensive testing which the seller has already performed to ensure that the land is not contaminated or to quantify any work necessary to clean it up. The purchase price is $160,000, which the State Property Review Board has certified is a reasonable price. This was presented jointly to the Board of Finance, Board of Selectmen, and building committee. The building committee approved this purchase and price unanimously.

It is important to realize that the Covid relief, or ARPA money, needs to be committed by Dec. 31, 2024. The Board of Finance is aware of this timetable and is considering alternative uses for the ARPA funds, if this building cannot meet that timeline. The town would then need to fund the cost of the entire project as opposed to the $1 million needed today.

Many residents over the years have utilized the services or witnessed the services of Easton EMS. The residents of Easton understand the incredible dedication of our volunteers and have expressed to us throughout the years their tremendous gratitude. Of course, this was never more the case than during the recent pandemic. Many residents have made the ultimate show of support by donating to the EMS Building Fund.

We could not be more appreciative of all the support. While the town has expressed overwhelming support for a new EMS headquarters, as have most of the town officials, we are asking Easton residents to continue to champion this project. If you’d like more information about this project, I encourage you to reach out directly to any of the folks below who are leading our efforts to make this critical renovation a reality while minimizing the impact on Easton taxpayers. We must meet an important deadline to keep this project moving forward. 

Again, we thank you for your support and we can’t wait to invite everyone in town to the Grand Opening of our newly renovated, sustainable EMS facility next year. We love serving this community and we are grateful for your support as we work hard to deliver a new EMS building so we can continue to take care of everyone in Easton for years to come. 

Thank you for your continued support,

Victor Malindretos
President, Board of Trustees
Easton Volunteer Emergency Medical Service, Inc.