After Breaking Ground In January, Foxon Firehouse Renovation, Expansion Well Underway

EAST HAVEN, CT—With the ground broken in January, the Foxon Fire Station renovation and expansion are well underway.

Described then as a milestone for the station, East Haven Fire Chief Matthew Marcarelli has been keeping the community up-to-date on the process.

Completed in 1968, this is the first major renovation of the fire station in decades, according to the fire chief.

Marcarelli said earlier this year that the project "represents the first major capital improvement to a public safety building since the high school was constructed, and it’s long overdue."

Phase 1 includes a new 48' x 72' addition that can shelter up to eight vehicles, depending on size, with a center bay tall enough for an apparatus maintenance lift, an expanded outdoor training area, and significantly increased parking.

The entire building will receive a standing-seam metal roof and a decorative cupola facing the Route 80/ North High Street intersection.

As he noted in January, the project supported by the East Haven Board of Fire Commissioners, Board of Finance, and the East Haven Town Council, "addresses long-standing issues."

Those include the removal of a problematic, leaky flat roof, the expansion of both the parking area and the exterior training area.

"This investment benefits both our career and volunteer firefighters," the chief said, "giving them a safer, more functional facility that reflects the level of service they provide every day."

As seen in photos, the steel framing is already visible, "illustrating the scale of the addition and how it will relieve the cramped, outdated Main Street headquarters and remove equipment currently stored outdoors or in leased containers," Marcarelli said.

Phase 2 will fully renovate the living quarters into an open-concept design with maintenance-free flooring, new paint, windows and doors, updated kitchen and bunk areas, and upgraded training space, he added.

The work is being built by Munger Construction and managed by Bluescope Construction through the Sourcewell purchasing cooperative, of which the town is a member.