Central Fire Station has Three Rear Doors
I recently wrote a comment in HollistonReporter as the retired Chief of the Holliston Fire Department explaining the reason and background for the three rear doors in the renovated Central Fire Station.
The purpose for the doors was to provide an easy access to Exchange Street in addition to the main doors on Central Street. The plan at that time, working with the architect and the selectmen was to purchase the Olmstead property at 44 Exchange Street when it went on the market at a future date. In addition to accessing the three rear doors in the renovated station, additional public parking would become available.
In a recent article published in a local newspaper, my article in the HollistonReporter was misinterpreted. This article says that I advocate purchasing this property in order to expand the parking lot behind the fire station. Not true. This additional parking is a side effect of the Exchange Street purchase and not the reason I support purchasing the property. It also quoted Paul Le Beau that this property could not be used for parking as it is the site of a septic system. The parking lots at the CVS Pharmacy, the Central Street Plaza now under construction, Casey's Crossing and the lot behind Fiske's all contain leaching areas.
Again, I recommend that the town purchase the Exchange Street property, demolish the existing structure to provide access to the three rear doors on the addition to the original fire station as planned when this addition was designed and constructed. Increased public parking is always an asset in a growing community like Holliston.