BARNSTABLE—The town’s fire district on Wednesday night unanimously approved spending $1.2 million to design a fire station big enough to accommodate population growth over the next 50 years.
Rather than remodel its Barnstable Village station again, the fire district will oversee the design of a building this summer, with construction expected to begin in July 2025, Fire Chief Chris Beal tells CAI.
"We've pretty much outgrown it due to the large call volume," Beal said in March. "The next move for us is to make our station more adequate for our increased staffing."
The new station will replace the water department's offices on Phinney's Lane, about a mile from the existing Barnstable Village location, which opened in 1935.
The Barnstable Fire Department serves about 5,000 residents in Cummaquid and nearby areas, and handles 1,800 calls a year.
A committee of fire district residents last fall recommended that a new station would better accommodate the district's 21 firefighters and officers.
The station is expected to open in summer 2027, with the existing building slated to house the Water Department and a community space.