Fire Department Renovations Are Officially Under Way

By Nancy Barnes

Let the renovations begin at the John P. Rosadini Fire Headquarters.

"We're up and functional.  Operationally, we're good to go," said Deputy Fire Chief David Marcarelli on Tuesday following last week's double-groundbreaking  ceremony for the North Haven Fire Department renovations.

One ceremony took place for renovations at the fire department headquarters, which has necessitated the administrative unit's move to the old probate office in Town Hall.  A second ceremony took place at the Montowese Fire Company or Fire Company #2. There, a new structure will replace the current one that, according to Marcarelli, went up in 1938.  

The renovations at the fire department headquarters will include the addition of two bays and, in the process, free up more space for the North Haven Fire Department's other needs.

Presently, the fire equipment at the headquarters is parked "back-to-back," Marcarelli, a 20-year veteran of the North Haven Fire Department, said.  

The apparatus at the headquarters on Broadway consists of three frontline pieces, a pumper and a spare. No upgrades or renovations have taken place at the fire department headquarters since its construction in 1972, the deputy fire chief said. Yet, during that time period the number of calls to the fire department has risen nearly tenfold--from roughly 500 to more than 4,600 a year.   

While work is ongoing at headquarters, the firefighters will use a town-owned property next door.  

"It'll be tight," Marcarelli said of those firefighters' temporary quarters, although he conceded that firefighters- — known for their cooking — will have the use of a kitchen.   

The firefighters at Fire Company #2 are using rented space on Maple Avenue.  Marcarelli said the renovations at the fire department headquarters and what is known as the Montowese fire company will take place concurrently. In roughly four months, Marcarelli said upgrades and renovations at the town's two other fire companies — West Ridge and Northeast — will begin. 

"This will serve our needs for the foreseeable future," he said of the upgrades. 

He said the renovations at the fire stations will give the department more flexibility and the expansion of space should add 20 to 30 years of useful life.  Overall, Marcarelli said the changes will permit the fire department to "address the needs of our town." 

In addition to members of the fire department, among them Fire Chief Vincent Landisio and Marcarelli, those present at the groundbreaking ceremonies last week included State Rep. Dave Yaccarino and representatives from Downes Construction and the Manchester, Conn.-based Lawrence Associates, architects for the work.  

Fire Commission Chair Pasquale Nuzzolillo and Peter Criscuolo, who chaired the building committee, were also among the attendees.    

Just over nine million dollars in bonds will fund the projects. The town had approved the bonding at a referendum last year.