Weston Fire Station Group Reviews Cost-Cutting Options for South Primary Station

WESTON — June 16, 2025 — Weston's Fire Station Working Group reviewed more than two dozen value-engineering options for the proposed South Primary Fire Station at its June 16 hybrid meeting. Rebecca Hopkins of Tecton Architects walked the group through a line-by-line spreadsheet of potential deductions and additions against a hard-cost baseline in the range of $38 million, with individual options ranging from an approximately $25,000 bollard reduction to a roughly $1.8 million saving from eliminating the entire training wing — though Hopkins cautioned that most remaining square footage had been designated as a programmatic need. Co-Chair Jim Polando reported that wetlands consultant Rob Gemma confirmed a soil scientist's finding that a waterway on the South Avenue site is most likely a perennial stream, triggering a stricter setback; the project budget holds a placeholder of approximately $250,000 for remediation, a figure Hopkins described as uncertain pending Conservation Commission review. Members will score each option individually on SharePoint before the group reconvenes June 30 to run the same exercise for the Center Fire Station, with a combined review set for July 21.