ROCKPORT — In a unanimous vote Aug. 9, the Rockport Select Board authorized Town Manager Jon Duke and Town Clerk Linda Greenlaw to draft language for a warrant article asking taxpayers to approve the construction of a new West Rockport Fire Station. A warrant article seeking voter approval on the proposed approximately $2 million structure is expected to appear on the November ballot.

The board also unanimously approved extending a music series at Mary Lea Park through the autumn season, granting a live music permit to a local restaurant and adding new language to the Select Board bylaws which pertain to member participation and voting.

West Rockport Fire Station

On July 12, the Select Board reviewed the design and costs of a new West Rockport Fire Station, which would replace the existing building at the corners of routes 17 and 90. Renderings submitted to the town by  Amanda Austin of 2A Architects, LLC, call for a new West Street Fire Station which would house up to four fire engines or EMS vehicles, as well as provide sleeping accommodations and a meeting room for firefighters and emergency medical technicians.

The structure would cost approximately $2 million, and floorplans were provided by Bill Lane of Gartley & Dorksy Engineering.

According to plans submitted to the Town, the fire station would be approximately 5,000 square feet in size and would be set back from the busy intersection, behind where the existing fire station stands; additional parking spaces would be added to Route 17 side of the structure.

In December of last year, Austin, Lane and Fire Chief Jason Peasley appeared before the Select Board with an initial set of designs by 2A Architects, and Peasley described the need for a new, more comprehensive fire station at the West Rockport location. Peasley cited inadequate space, condition and functionality of the current station and stressed that its location is much closer to the homes of the majority of volunteer firefighters than the in-town station at 85 Main St.

“The firefighters we have are more in the West Rockport area and we’re getting less and less [in town]...the four gentlemen who are on this side of town [near the Main St. station], their average age is 75 years old....None of my other firefighters can afford to live on this side of town, so West Rockport, in my opinion, is going to be the future of where the Rockport Fire Department will be,” said Peasley.

Lane said that any potential renovation to the building would have to include completely raising the roof on the station, as well as moving the footprint of the building further back from the intersection, using a parcel of land to the rear of the building which was purchased previously by the town for that purpose. The station would have a new water service entrance, a new underground power supply, and an eight-car parking lot.

Other business

The board unanimously approved a “remote participation policy” which outlines circumstances in which members are allowed to participate remotely rather than attend meetings in person. These include illness, temporary absence from the jurisdiction and “the existence of an emergency or urgent issue that requires the full Select Board to meet remotely.” The board further updated the Rockport Select Board Bylaws to include the following language pertaining to participation and voting:

“No member may participate or vote in any adjudicatory proceeding, including proceedings on licenses, permits or other approvals, unless the member was present during all hearings thereon. All members who are present and not disqualified as provided herein shall vote in every matter to be voted upon unless excused by the Chair for good cause shown. If a member does abstain from a vote, other than because of a recognized conflict of interest, the abstention shall be considered an affirmative vote.”

A special amusement permit was granted to Mexican restaurant Taboo Taqueria to have a live band or guitar play outside the Commercial St. restaurant, which has a capacity of 75 people. The board voted to extend the “Concerts in the Park” series at Mary Lea Park through the fall. The concert series is scheduled by the Parks Committee, and the concerts are free to the public and feature amateur musicians. 

The board also appointed Diana Castle to the Budget Committee. Castle will be serving the remaining two-years of a term initially held by Selectman Eric Boucher.