Three finalists for Mansfield's next fire chief

Dec. 9--MANSFIELD -- Three Mansfield firefighters are being considered to fill the post of Chief Neal Boldrighini, who is retiring.

Deputy Fire Chief James Puleo, EMS Officer Lt. Justin Desrosiers and Capt. Donald Tebeau were scheduled to be interview by Town Manager Kevin Dumas Dec. 10 and 11.

A firefighter for 28 years, Boldrighini took over for former chief Robert Bellavance in 2007.

In addition to choosing a new chief, the town is also deciding the fate of the North Main Street fire station. Next week, the Select Board will review a request for proposals for the station at its Dec. 18 meet.

The station was declared surplus with the opening of the new $22 million public safety building on Route 106. It was closed this year a bit ahead of schedule after a two-alarm fire broke out there in February.

The building was built in the 1930s and a 2010 study revealed it would cost over $1 million to fix some current issues in it without making it fully functional and usable to today's standards or ADA compliant.

The town is looking to dispose of the property for redevelopment as a business or mixed-use project, Dumas said.

From the start, the Select Board has supported a deed restriction to protect the station's exterior façade.

"Also, this project is a good candidate to be considered eligible as part of the Adaptive Reuse of Historic Structure bylaw which would give more flexibility on different uses other than those by right as well as density adjustments that would be reviewed by Planning Board via a special permit process," Dumas said.

The station is currently appraised at $450,000 and that would be the minimum bid sought, according to Dumas.

Among the requirements the town is seeking from developers interested in the station is experience in one comparable business or mixed-use development within the past 10 years.

The town hopes to issue the request for proposals in January 2020 with a due date in March, Dumas said.

The Fire Department is also expected to have its two new fire engines in service by Dec. 31. Town Meeting voted in 2018 to approve $660,000 for a new engine to replace a 2006 one. The second engine was purchased with insurance money to replace one destroyed in the fire.

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