Back to the Drawing Board for Fire Station

It often caused heated debate in town, but ultimately the people of Chelmsford spoke yesterday and voted down a . The measure lost by 403 votes.

Now, it's up to town officials to decide what to do next.

"The problems are not going away," said Town Manager Paul Cohen. "After Town Meeting, I'll meet with the Board of Selectmen and plan how to address the problem."

Cohen said the clear message at the polls is people do not want to pay higher taxes. However, repairing the current fire station would be sinking money into a building that is both structurally and functionally deficient, said Cohen.

"We need to look for a long-term cost-effective alternative," he said.

Cohen said finances were a key issue at the polls yesterday, but probably not the only issue. and unfounded allegations played a role in the results, he said.

"There is a sense of anti-incumbency," said Cohen. "It's good to get new people in office but there is a loss of expertise that can be costly."

The problem with figuring out the next step for the fire station, Cohen said, is that there is no money left for new plan design.

"We've been studying the station now for four years," he said. "It's a problem that needs to be addressed."

Cohen expects the Board of Selectmen to take up the issue again in May, after Town Meeting meets at the end of this month.