Lee Select Board Community Forum on Central Fire Station Adaptive Reuse

On March 26, 2026, the Lee Select Board and town staff held an informal community forum to present an adaptive reuse plan for the historic Central Fire Station and the adjacent EMS building. Select Board member Bob Jones opened the meeting, and Town Administrator Chris Burton presented the project with architect Carrie Martini, civil engineer Matt Putton, and landscape architect Justin Winters. No formal votes were taken; the forum was intended to gather public feedback before the May 14, 2026 Town Meeting warrant was finalized.

Project Overview and Building Reuse

• Bob Jones spoke personally in support of preserving the 19th-century fire station, saying Lee changes incrementally and that the building should be passed on to future generations. He said the project cost is minimal compared with other town projects.
• Chris Burton said the committee was formed after construction of the new public safety building displaced groups from the building referred to in the transcript as the Araldi/Eraldi Building. The committee included representatives of the Youth Commission, fire company, Historical Commission, VFW, food pantry, Select Board, town staff, and public members.
• The options considered were demolition, sale, and adaptive reuse. The committee chose adaptive reuse to preserve local history, maintain local control, house displaced organizations, and create a connection between North and South Main Street, especially with planned housing developments such as Eagle Mill and Canal Street.
• The plan proposes demolishing the structurally unstable front half of the EMS building, saving the rear half, and adapting the Central Fire Station for community use while keeping a fire-station theme.

Central Fire Station Design

• Carrie Martini described a small two-story elevator addition at the rear to provide accessibility, and a new stair in the tower to create two means of egress.
• The first floor would include a main community space able to hold about 200 people, exhibit and display areas, and retained overhead doors that can open for indoor-outdoor events.
• The second floor would include two meeting rooms with preserved fireplaces, each accommodating roughly 25 to under 50 people, plus shared office/copy space, secure storage areas, and a commercial kitchen located near the meeting rooms.
• The design would restore the original arched openings and the historic green base, while preserving the building's masonry and character.
• Fire company representatives said the antique horse-drawn steamer and hand-drawn pumper would be centerpiece displays, with fire memorabilia on the walls. They cautioned against leaving the antique apparatus outside because weather and brass maintenance are concerns, though equipment could be wheeled out for special events.

EMS Building, Site, and Landscape Design

• The EMS building's front half would be removed, with the rear ambulance garage converted into food pantry space. The VFW would use the front offices and could use the food pantry space for meetings during off hours.
• A lift would connect the two floor levels of the EMS building for accessibility, and a new front entry porch and ramp are proposed.
• Civil engineer Matt Putton said the site would have 18 parking spaces, including 2 ADA spaces, a grass paver driveway to allow fire apparatus access, reduced impervious surface, improved stormwater management, and new sidewalks that avoid ramps where possible.
• Landscape architect Justin Winters presented the proposed Lee Fire Station Green, a roughly 28,000-square-foot site with a flexible front lawn, pavilion, terrace plaza with marble seat wall, native pollinator gardens, strolling gardens, children's playground, hedge labyrinth, hillside slide, and community garden.
• The landscape plan would preserve the American elm, flagpole, and memorial bench, and could accommodate farmers-market stalls during special events. Justin Winters said the front lawn could hold almost 1,000 people if packed, though the design is meant for multiple smaller activities.

Costs, Funding, and Timeline

• Chris Burton estimated $2.5 million for the building renovation and minimal outside site work. The town anticipates at least $500,000 in grants, but the amount is not guaranteed.
• The Select Board proposal presented for the warrant would use $500,000 in free cash and borrow $2 million over 15 years. The estimated tax impact was about $43 per year on the average single-family home if grants are received, and about $55 per year without grants.
• The full park and landscape additions would cost roughly $800,000 more, bringing the estimated tax impact to about $64 per year with grants or $76 per year without grants.
• A Town Meeting article is planned for May 14, 2026, to authorize $2.5 million. The existing building is not expected to be vacant until summer 2027, design work would continue in 2026-2027, and construction could begin as early as fall 2028.
• Chris Burton said the new public safety building is reportedly ahead of schedule and under budget.
• For operations, the town is considering expanding the part-time maintenance position to full-time and creating a stipend event coordinator position to schedule rentals and community programming.

Public Comments & Testimony

• One community member questioned why the town did not issue an RFP for a long-term lease or sale that could still preserve the building, and called the plan to ask for $2.5 million now and $800,000 later disingenuous. They also suggested opening the building to more natural light for a larger indoor-outdoor event space.
• Several attendees raised parking concerns, noting that a 200-person community space would have only 18 on-site spaces. Presenters responded that on-street parking, Railroad Street parking, and parking at the new public safety building would supplement the site.
• A resident expressed concern about children's play areas near Main Street traffic and tractor trailers. Designers responded that the playground was moved to the rear for safety, with parked cars as a buffer and urban-park safety standards applied.
• A young-family resident strongly supported the downtown public space and playground, saying approved housing across Main Street could bring 400 to 600 new residents, and that families with toddlers currently have only sidewalks unless they drive to other parks.
• Several speakers urged simple, maintainable design, noting that deferred maintenance is a recurring town problem. One speaker recommended using Community Preservation Act funds because the project could qualify as historical and open-space work.
• One attendee asked to put the full $3.3 million project on the warrant at once to avoid higher costs and doing site work twice. Chris Burton said the landscape work would not be repeated, and another town meeting could occur before final landscape work was done; Bob Jones invited written feedback on whether to fund both parts together.
• Other public questions covered a possible first-floor catering kitchen, the elevator addition's materials, the fire-rated tower stair, ADA lift access, the existing generator, and how the outdoor space would be maintained.

Key Outcomes

• No motion, vote, or formal Select Board decision was made at the forum.
• The planned Town Meeting article for May 14, 2026 would ask voters to authorize $2.5 million for the building adaptive reuse and basic site work, with $500,000 from free cash and $2 million in borrowing.
• The committee will consider public feedback, including whether to include the additional $800,000 park and landscape work in the same or a later article, before finalizing the warrant.
• Feedback forms were distributed and collected at the meeting for use in refining the concept.