Select Board Reject Fire Station Ballot Question

The Seekonk Select Board decided against placing a question about the South End Fire Station on the April 6 election ballot.

Board member Gary Sagar made a motion to place a debt exclusion referendum on the ballot at the February 18 meeting. No one seconded his motion.

“The time now is to build it,” Sagar said, noting the architect he spoke with believes “the 8300 square foot building should be able to be built for $9.5 million.”

Fire Chief Shaun Whalen told the board the total cost of the station would be $13.6 million. That figure includes $1.5 million in capital costs and $843,200 for new firefighters and gear.

Two attempts to secure funding for a South End Fire Station were unsuccessful. The project was rejected at the May 2025 town meeting by a vote of 112 – 108.  A second attempt to authorize $9.5 million in funding for the project was rejected by voters at the September 15 Town Meeting.

Some members of the public expressed their displeasure with the board’s vote. They cited increased traffic due to the construction of a new shopping plaza in the south end of town.

“I’ve seen fire trucks and ambulances coming down 114A south,” said Doreen Taylor. “You try going through there between the hours of two thirty and five o’clock and it is horrible. I think you should reconsider your vote and put it on the ballot and let the town decide.”

“The response to get down to Route 6 and Fall River Avenue is ridiculous,” said Elizabeth Elmasian, who is a candidate for Select Board. “You’re subjecting this town to liability that I can’t even explain to you. By taking the vote away from residents, where do you think liability is going to fall? There’s going to be a loss of life somewhere.”

“Of course this board thinks of liability,” Chair Michelle Hines responded. “And it doesn’t relieve us of liability because people are going to sue anyway.”

Hines added the fire department always manages to get through traffic jams on Route 6 when lives are in jeopardy.