20 March, 1987 (~estimated)

Committee Discusses New Firehouse Location

First thoughts sometimes turn out to be the best idea of all.

That is the present thinking of the Township’s Municipal Facilities Ad Hoc Study Committee, as related by Township Administrator James J. Pascale to Township Committee on Monday night. Having placed the proposed new firehouse in different spots — either next to the Valley Road building or the Township Police Station — the Facilities Study Committee and architect William Short now think that butting it up against the north end of the Public Works Department’s building in the triangle formed by Valley Road, Route 206 and Mt. Lucas Road is the best location.

Converting the existing building into an office and storage space for equipment, and building bays for the fire apparatus out back may be one way of wedging a firehouse onto the right triangular plot, Mr. Pascale said. The alternatives are negotiating with the Board of Education to preempt space in the parking area adjacent to the Valley Road building, or trying to combine a new firehouse with a new municipal office building and police station across the way in the parking area by the present police station.

Mr. Pascale said he thought that the Board of Education would not want to give up space where school buses are parked, and that it would be difficult to jam three uses — fire, police and municipal — on the other site. The Facility Study Committee will be meeting again this week with Mr. Short.