A groundbreaking ceremony for Norfolk’s new fire station facility was held on Saturday, May 6 at the new fire station site at 117 Main St.

Several speakers, including Sen. Becca Rausch, Rep. Marcus Vaughn, Select Board Chair Anita Mecklenburg, Fire Station Building Committee Chair Kevin Champagne and Fire Chief Erron Kinney gave remarks about the new fire facility. Rev. Derek White of the Federated Church blessed the new site and the ceremony.

The ceremony was attended by former fire chiefs, members of the Select Board and the Norfolk Fire Department, other department heads, Town Administrator Justin Casanova-Davis, former Town Administrator Blythe Robinson, Project Manager Steven Kirby, the general contractor, and the architectural team.

The groundbreaking marks the fire department’s transition into a modern, 21st-century facility as the current station is outdated and undersized for the community’s overall needs. In addition to the building concerns, it would not have been cost-effective to update the existing building.

The new fire station facility will accommodate Norfolk’s growing community and allow emergency personnel to have the updated resources needed to serve the town.

“Our existing station and trailer are unsafe, too small and cannot be upgraded to meet current building codes. Having a new fire station will better support our firefighters as it will equip them with the facility and resources needed to allow them to quickly and efficiently respond to emergencies,” said Chief Kinney. “I’m so grateful to the town and all who helped make this groundbreaking possible.”

Contractors will soon begin excavating the site, installing the concrete foundation and new underground site utilities, and demolishing the detached two-vehicle garage.

Norfolk’s new fire station facility is expected to be completed in Fall 2024.

“I’m very excited about this project as we want our fire department to be able to continue to provide the quality services that our town has come to expect and receives from our fire department every day,” said Town Administrator Casanova-Davis. “I’m pleased to see this capital project move forward and I would like to thank the fire station building committee members, who are largely made of Norfolk residents, our fire department and community members for their continued support of the project and our firefighters.”