03/07/2026
Warrant Articles 8 & 16
Vote Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 8am-7pm
Wi******er Town Hall
Dear Wi******er Residents,
The Wi******er Fire Department (WFD) has been responding to the call for help since
1843. Now we are asking you, the residents of Wi******er, for your help and support so
we can continue our mission to serve you in your time of need.
Article 8.
At Town Deliberative, Article 8 was amended to restore the original request for the Fire
Apparatus Capital Reserve Fund back to $80,000. The WFD would like to thank the
voters who amended the article from the floor and voted to approve. The cost of a new
fire engine is now well over $500,000 and the one we will need to replace is over 30
years old, and is getting more difficult and costly to maintain. After many years of
service it is time we start planning its replacement. Putting aside funds every year means
the tax payer is not asked to pay as much all at once. It is just good forward thinking to
set aside a sufficient amount into the Capital Reserve Fund every year to close the gap.
As amended the amount of $80,000 is sufficient and we ask you to please vote yes on
Article 8.
Article 16.
This article if approved would take a 3 acre portion out of a 6.9 acre parcel now in Town
Forest for a new fire station. The parcel in question is designated as Map 6, Lot 19, is
located on Richmond Rd. just east of the cemetery, right after Opportunity Way, and is
commonly known as Muster Field Park. The same article appeared on last year’s ballot
without specifying a purpose and was voted down. The purpose is now stated.
The current fire station is dated, cramped, does not meet current requirements (no venting
system for vehicle exhaust for example) and is in serious need of upgrading. In 2023 the
Wi******er Firefighters’ Association (WFA) undertook a feasibility study (without cost
to the tax payer) on upgrading the existing station. The resulting estimated cost of an
upgrade led to the conclusion it would be less expensive to build a new station. Copies of
the study were provided to the Town Board. We identified the town owned property
known as Muster Field Park as an ideal location for a new station.
All around us fire departments are facing the same problem of old, out of date and
decrepit fire stations at the end of their useful life span in need of modernizing or
replacing. Wi******er is no different. In conversations with town officials and towns’
people no one has questioned the need. We would not be doing our job if we failed to
identify a problem and then failed to act on it. The fire service has a saying: fail to plan,
plan to fail. We do not want to fail and so we must plan.
Dispelling fact from rumor.
Taking 3 acres out of town forest is revenue neutral. This is not a vote on building a new
firehouse. A yes vote only provides an option to build there.
This location is town owned so there would no additional acquisition cost, or land taken
off the tax rolls.
The proposed location is not on the site of the former Muster Field. That location is to the
west in front of the cemetery.
The WFD does not use foam containing PFA’s, which have been outlawed anyway, or
any other hazardous materials. At the deliberative session a member of the Conservation
Committee expressed concern a fire station might pollute the forest. We are in the
business of responding to and mitigating HazMat situations not causing them.
We are not getting a helicopter. The very idea is ridiculous yet this is one of the rumors
floated last year before the vote.
We are asking for less than half of the parcel. Muster Field Park will not disappear.
Why the WFD thinks this is a good location.
The current fire house is in a flood zone. We believe it makes more sense to build a new
station out of a flood zone.
Responding from the current location on Parker St. requires turning onto Keene Rd./
Route 10 and can sometimes present a challenge due to traffic. Turning onto the narrow
bridge on Elm Street always presents a challenge. The proposed site on Richmond Rd./
Rte 119 provides far greater visibility especially oncoming traffic over the bridge.
In our estimation there would no appreciable response delay. Our firefighters currently
respond to the station from work or home. For some this would be closer, for others
further.
Closer proximity to the town highway garage where we get diesel.
Room to expand. Currently we are bursting at the seams. While an upgrade on the current
station would address double stacked trucks for example ( We have to move one truck out
of the way if we need the one behind it.) it is still the same foot print with limited room to
expand.The current station, shared with the Police Department and Ambulance, is just too
small for all three - whose space needs have also increased over the years. There is little
to no room for any of the 3 Departments to expand without taking from the others, or
taking space from the parking lot or park.
Cost. The study concluded a new station would actually be less expensive. For example,
we are limited in our use of the second floor meeting room because it is not ADA
compliant. We would need to put in an elevator.
Logistics. If the current station is remodeled it will require us to move trucks and
equipment somewhere else during construction. With a new station everything can stay
where it is while a new station is built.
We are unable to pursue grants and other funding sources until we have a location.
Should the article pass we can start this process for a new building - the WFD’s preferred
option.
The time is now to start planning for the future. Whether a remodel or new build it will
take several years to accomplish and we cannot and should not wait until the current fire
station is falling down around us. Please vote yes.
Paid for by the Wi******er Firefighters’ Association, a 501(c)(3) tax exempt charitable
organization.
