Meeting Tuesday, Millwood Fire District officials and the New Castle Planning Board signaled progress and agreement for the proposed new firehouse.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done but we made a lot of progress tonight," said Fire Commissioner Alan Schapiro said about the meeting, which was an informal hearing.

Schapiro was also pleased with cooperation from the planning board, saying, “They’re clearly showing an indication that they want to work with us and we’re going to get them answers to every question they asked us.”

The 18,000 square foot, 5-bay structure needs the board's approval for site plan, changing lot boundaries and permits for wetlands, steep slopes, tree removal and stormwater management. Voters in the fire district approved of a $9.95 million bond last April to pay for the project, which will replace the current firehouse at 60 Millwood Rd. and will be located several hundred feet east of it off of the same road. Comission Chair Hala Makowska told the planning board she hopes that construction will start in the summer and that it could take about 16-18 months.

There was nothing major in terms of disagreement, according to Schapiro. Notable items discussed include:

• A small piece of district-owned property in front of its main property, called the Cortez property, will be redrawn as a smaller lot, a new update since the last meeting. One of multiple lots the district owns on site, a piece of the property will be use to widen a turning radius. The rest of the Cortez property is intended for sale and it will be .33 acres. The remaining property for the district will be 8.73 acres.
• A request from Town Planner David Brito to have a title company update the termination of an old restrictive covenant between the fire district and neighboring property owners.
• A request from Brito to have the fire district provide an alternative scenario for a direct driveway from the Cortez property directly onto Millwood Road (Route 133). The proposal calls for its driveway to connect to the main one from the firehouse. The fire district's lawyer agreed to it.
• Looking at alternative sites for a new siren, and a recommendation for muting it during off hours, was requested from the board. Makowska agreed with looking at other properties. The siren is currently proposed for being near Shingle House Road.
• A slight tweak of lighting in the parking lot, or more screening, was requested by Brito to minimize disruption to neighbors. Responding to questions about whether or not lights could be turned off and then automatically turned on in emergencies, Makowska explained that such a system is already being proposed.
• Landscaping for a wall that faces the Vesce commercial property to the west, which is also on Millwood Road. The Architectural Review Board, it was noted, asked for a berm in addition to the concrete wall. Makowska disagreed for the need, citing cost and the fact that the Vesce site is largely vacant, saying, “There’s nobody really there to look at it.” Planning Board Chair Richard Brownell asked for sketches of the area, and Makowska agreed with revisiting the issue given it is unknown what the property will eventually look like if it is ever developed.
• Whether the 50 parking spaces (35 for the public and 15 for firefighters and officials) is enough for occasional big events. The fire district will have a parking management plan done in response to a request.
• Zoning variances may be needed for areas including the access driveway and frontage. The fire district will try to resolve this with the Zoning Board at the same time as it moves its application through the Planning Board.

The next meeting date is March 6, which would involve another informal hearing. A formal hearing could take place in the early spring. For our previous coverage on the proposed new firehouse, click here.