Newington Fire Committee Advances $7.3 Million Station No. 4 Plan Toward Referendum
Other Committee · Meeting of April 16, 2026
Newington's Fire Department Facilities Project Building Committee moved a $7.3 million replacement of Fire Station No. 4 toward a public referendum vote, agreeing to restructure proposed upgrades as deduct alternates at its April 16 meeting. Committee Chair Stephen Woods and members including Chris Minor and Don Brown settled on including a standing seam metal roof, radiant floor slab heating, and interior column removal in the base bid, with each item listed as a deduct alternate to preserve cost-cutting flexibility if bids run high. The $7.3 million estimate already carries a 4 percent inflation factor and is supported by roughly $1 million in layered contingency reserves, according to Woods.
Resident Joe Harpy, speaking during public comment, praised the committee's work but cautioned that the 10 percent owner's contingency "seems thin" given the number of alternates in play. The committee is set to vote next Thursday on a formal recommendation to bring the project to the Town Council, which would then control the referendum timeline; grant applications to federal and state sources are pending and could reduce the tax burden on residents.
In the full story:
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Source: the Other Committee meeting of April 16, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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