New South Seekonk Fire Station: A Townwide Priority Deserving of a Special September Town Meeting

I am writing as a private citizen to stress the importance of a townwide priority of a new South fire station. Please refer to important information available on the town’s website at the South Fire Station Building Committee, including an e-mail from the architect that the station could” likely be built” with the requested amount of $9,500,000. - Sagar, Gary - South End Fire Station Correspondence (PDF) & Sagar, Gary - South End Fire Station Supporting Documents 2025 (PDF). Also, please refer to TV9 - June 2020 Town Meeting - Article 16. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/j2q185gulcu73j1rhudvx/Spring-Town-Meeting-2020-Article-16.mp4?rlkey=t5jct9ghakxonz34davke3pq2&st=wawqn5oq&dl=0 

A new South fire station, at 69 School St, would provide a strategic location to better serve the South End of Seekonk. The South End or District 1 generates over 60+% of the call volume for the fire department. Approximately 70+% of these calls are for EMS/rescue. The response times have increased significantly, primarily due to traffic congestion, to an average of 9-12 minutes; sometimes as many as 14 minutes. Developments in progress or planned for the South End include hotels, retail stores, new car dealership, housing units, supermarkets; probably also Costco; greatly increasing traffic. Response by emergency vehicles to the South End of town will be more difficult. Factors will include time of day, weather, the Washington Bridge, etc. Resources from the Banna Station on Pine St, are often dispatched to the South End, or mutual aid from neighboring communities must be relied upon. This creates an additional void in fire department resources for the northern & central part of town. The reliance on mutual aid significantly reduces our rescue income, as explained by our town administrator at the June 2020 Town Meeting, Article 16, supporting the need that a new South fire station is a town wide priority; now!!

The area designated for a communication center, is suggested to be re-purposed at no extra cost, as an unstaffed police outpost. This outpost would provide resources to the police department, for on-duty officers, with limited police services by appointment to the public, convenient to the residents and businesses of the South End. The limited services would be determined by the town and police department. These additional resources for the police department improve their quality of service to the community.


To pay for this much needed station requires a debt exclusion vote from Proposition 2½, plus approval by a 2/3 vote at Town Meeting. We believe time is of the essence. The budget at the 2024 Fall Town Meeting for $40 million dollars DPW facility, listed an average home in Seekonk, also known as the median assessed value at $522,595. The financing formula, used for this failed project of $40 million dollars, is $267 per year for 30 years or $6.68 per million financed. Applying this formula to a $9,500,000 South End fire station is $63.46 per year for 30 years: $15.87 per quarter, $5.29 per month. These numbers should increase slightly for 2025. We ask for your support; please contact me with any questions. Watch for additional information in this publication and through TV9. Seekonk – thank you.

Gary S. Sagar gary@krazespeedequipment.net