BETHEL – At Wednesday night’s public hearing on the site plan application for a new $1.3 million fire station, Plan A quickly took a back seat to Plan B.

It was two abutters’ concerns that fostered the change.

Abutters Adam Alder, who owns Bistro L’Auberge Lodging and Fine Dining, and Jenna Smith sought answers to safety and snowplowing concerns.

Alder said fire engines would be exiting the new station beside the driveway that enters his establishment, creating a two-way traffic hazard. Currently, that’s the way fire trucks exit the station when heading into town or toward Route 26.

Smith concurred with Alder, but added that it is a safety hazard to have fire trucks exiting the station onto Mill Hill Road at its junction with Broad and Main streets adjacent to the town common.

That’s when architect applicant James Reuter brought out Plan B, which depicted a 30-foot-wide egress from the station onto Mill Hill Road and Broad Street that is 10 feet narrower than the existing egress and Plan A.

Reuter’s alternative plan also included a buffer zone between Alder’s right of way and the fire station’s egress road, guiding trucks headed to Broad Street through the original station’s site footprint.

Town Manager Scott Cole said selectmen had approved Plan B’s entrance design.

“There is a clear consensus among selectmen that the alternate entrance is what the town would like to put forward, but didn’t have time to do” to meet the Planning Board’s deadline, Cole said.

Smith then expressed concerns about snow removal.

“Because of the big wide curve around the common, snow gets piled up really high in front of our residence,” Smith said.

Reuter then noted that Plan B’s entrance would be more conducive to alleviating the problem.

Assistant Fire Chief Mike Jodrey took it a step further, saying, “If you go with Plan B, there wouldn’t be any reason to plow there.”

Cole joined in on the discussion, saying that he didn’t see an issue with snow removal there because the town would clear its streets.

“If there are any issues now as to what’s being built on the curve, it will have to be taken care of. There’ll be more parking area to clear than in the past, which will be more of a burden for abutters,” Cole said.

Alder also mentioned concerns about the Mill Hill Road-Broad Street sign that directs drivers to Route 5. Mill Hill Road winds around the common to connect with Route 5.

Alder said he’s had problems with drivers who don’t follow the curve, but instead follow the sign’s arrow straight down the entrance road into his establishment.

In the Planning Board meeting that followed the 15 minute hearing, Chairman Al Cressy addressed Smith’s and Alder’s concerns.

“From a safety standpoint, I cringe at thinking about (Alder’s) guests and fire trucks sharing the same road,” Cressy said.

The board followed his lead, indicating their desire to go with Plan B’s entrance road that separates Alder’s right of way from the fire station’s right of way.

Cole agreed with the board.

“Plan B mitigates the safety concerns of the abutters. This also works to delineate a travel space and create a green area. If there are any issues with snow removal, they can be resolved,” he added.

Planners, however, asked Reuter to return in two weeks to the board’s next meeting with a new plan reflecting Plan B’s alternative entrance design.

The $1.3 million project was narrowly approved by a June 11 town meeting referendum vote of 320-304. It includes the design, construction and equipping of a 10,000-square-foot fire station to replace the existing 5,000-square-foot structure.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

Copy the Story Link