Greene salutes former chief Peterson
By John Plestina
Special to the Sun Journal

GREENE – When Louise Boulet presented the fire department with a cross-stitched,framed Fireman’s Prayer she made, the gesture displayed the sentiment of many here at the dedication of the new fire station Sunday.

The department’s meeting room was packed as several people spoke about the department, it’s history and former Fire Chief Alden “Pete” Peterson, who was honored at the event.

The new station is state of the art, wired with telephone and Internet access in every room. Town Manager Stephen Eldridge said the fire station could house municipal government in the event of an emergency.

The town may renovate the town office building in 2005, but there are no plans for municipal offices to occupy space at the fire station during the renovations, Eldridge said.

The 30-member department is in the process of settling into the new station at the corner of Sedgley and Patton Roads. “The fire department has moved in, but they haven’t had time to make it all homey yet,” said Selectmen Chairman Ronald Grant.

It appears that the project will cost less than the budgeted amount when work is completed, including landscaping, painting and the installation of a fence in the spring. The town budgeted $1.9 million for the fire station. “I think we are going to come in under $1.6 million when we are done,” Eldridge said.

Glen Builders, of North Conway, N.H., began the project in March, less than a month after the 48-year-old former fire station and the attached 200-year-old Patton School were torn down.

The dedication and open house included a presentation of a plaque to Peterson for more than five decades of service by Fire Chief Bruce Tufts and Selectman Timothy Doyle. A letter congratulating Peterson from Gov. John Baldacci and a resolution from the 121st Maine Legislature honoring the former fire chief were read

Doyle spoke about being a young firefighter years ago and hearing stories about how Peterson started the department. “To put this in perspective, Alden was chief 10 years longer than I’ve been alive,” Doyle said.

“Pete (Peterson) has been a great friend of emergency services, period. Not just the fire department. There’s not a more dedicated man around,” said Leeds Fire Chief Glen Holt.