East Windsor PZC approves Warehouse Point fire addition | East Windsor

While the addition, roughly triples the size of the building and will predominantly house fire apparatus, another major element of the plan is in response to the commission’s request for low-cost aesthetic upgrades to the outside of the station.

The station’s digital sign will be moved closer to the edge of the property in order to create space for an 10 parking spots. A mulch bed and shrubs will be incorporated around the sign, Warehouse Point Fire Chief James Barton said.

By moving the sign and also changing the layout of the department so all four garage bays face Bridge Street, trucks will be able to pull in off the street and back into the respective apparatus bay, rather than be forced to make a K-turn like they do now, Barton said.

“This is for our firefighters’ safety and the safety of the public so the fire apparatus does not have to back in off the street,” he said.

Barton said another part of the plans is to widen the entrance and exit to the property by 40 feet, which will help with fire trucks’ mobility.

Plus, the plans include new 14-by-14-foot fire engine doors — the current doors are 10 by 10 feet — along with LED lighting, gas heating, and large windows to provide natural light in daytime. Barton added that the plans also include two cupolas on the roof of the station.

Barton confirmed there would not be any sidewalks added, which is something that was recommended.

On top of the addition and landscaping, voters in the Warehouse Point Fire District in September unanimously approved the purchase of a new fire truck for the Warehouse Point Fire Department. A total of 45 residents voted in favor of the truck and garage addition, with zero opposed.

The new truck is valued at $1.2 million, Barton said, and the fire district plans to finance it by using bond money. The addition is valued at $800,000.