On Tuesday, Feb. 11, at Samuel Staples Elementary School, there will be a referendum to appropriate funding for the renovation of the EMS building on Sport Hill Road. This building is owned by the Town of Easton and is almost 100 years old. It is well past its useful life and in significant disrepair. Our emergency medical volunteers work out of that building and spend many hours there, including overnight shifts.
It is critical for their functioning that the building be renovated to provide adequate sleeping/living quarters and bathrooms for the current volunteers and to attract future volunteers. The septic system is failing and needs to be repaired, which required purchasing an adjacent piece of land and site work. Replacing the old building was one of the major recommendations when we had our emergency services evaluated by consultants in 2023, as well as replacement of our fire department radios and infrastructure, which the town approved and has begun work on.
This need for a new EMS building has been recognized for many years. Starting in April 2022, the town began a thorough process by establishing a building committee that studied various options. Multiple sites were considered, and the renovation of the existing 6,000-square-foot space was found to be the most cost efficient. The committee selected an architect, who worked with a design subcommittee to draw up a plan. When the design was unanimously approved by the building committee, bids were solicited for a construction company, and the low bidder, Bismark Construction, was chosen.
EMS will be working out of a house in front of Gilbertie’s Farm on Sport Hill Road during the renovation. The finances of the building are complicated by the town’s securing funds from multiple sources to minimize the cost to the town. At the end of the day, the actual cost to the town for a new EMS building will be $1,833,458. This is summarized below:
Funds Currently Available:
$1,130,264 (this includes $821,792 from EMS Volunteers, $188,000 in ARPA funds, $100,472 in LOCIP funds, $20,000 in seed money from the Easton Board of Finance, and $99,067 from a State of Connecticut grant)
Appropriation from Undesignated Funds:
$2,951,613
Total Project Cost:
$4,180,944
Expected Reimbursements:
$1,118,155 (this includes $820,952 in LOCIP funds and $297,202 from a State of Connecticut grant)
Net Project Cost:
$1,833,458
Recent postcards have attacked the performance and volunteers of Easton EMS. We have thoroughly discussed the plans for EMS coverage going forward. The results are there for all to see. Please reject these unconscionable attacks on the people who are so dedicated to helping us, but understand that this is why this project is at risk unless all of us show up at the polls. Our town’s first responders deserve the basic infrastructure required to do their job.
We urge you to approve the funding for the EMS renovation. We believe that many volunteers worked diligently and deliberatively to produce an excellent plan. Voting “yes” will fulfill a great need for our town. We all have high expectations for our public safety services, and a functional EMS building that improves the working conditions for our volunteers and helps us recruit more is essential. Thank you for your support.
First Selectman David Bindelglass
Selectman Nick D’Addario
