NORTHFIELD — Voters at a Special Town Meeting this week opted to acquire a Bernardston parcel to house Northfield EMS, allowing the service to move out of a converted gas station on Main Street.

The fourth article on Wednesday’s Special Town Meeting warrant achieved its required two-thirds majority with a 138-62 vote, and the excitement was visible on the face of new Northfield EMS Chief Matt Wolkenbreit, who had earlier urged residents to adopt the article for the good of his department and themselves.

“I think everybody is very excited and optimistic,” he said in an interview on Thursday. “[The vote] just speaks volumes to how they view us as a town department and the value we have to the community.”

Wolkenbreit said he hopes his crews move into the 546 Northfield Road (Route 10) location — which currently houses Valley Concrete & Construction — in the spring or summer. The business opened its doors to Northfield residents on Oct. 26 so they could explore the space and decide how to vote at Special Town Meeting.

The current EMS station at 41 Main St. in Northfield spans 1,488 square feet, with a 13,068-square-foot lot size. It can accommodate two ambulances, each ordered in a smaller size to fit inside the garage. Northfield EMS stores its third ambulance at the Erving Fire Station. By comparison, the 15,680-square-foot facility in Bernardston sits on just over 3 acres of land and would fit three standard-sized ambulances in the first heated garage, with extra space for Highway Department vehicles in the second.

In between the garages is a two-story building with three bathrooms and enough space for bunks, multiple offices, a kitchen, a training room and storage — an upgrade from the current station’s half bath and couch for overnight officers.

There have been three proposals to move Northfield EMS into a new, larger space over the past 12 years, including a $13.5 million public safety complex proposal that residents rejected in May 2023.

The roughly 250 voters who gathered in Pioneer Valley Regional School’s auditorium on Wednesday first agreed to purchase and outfit the property for $2.1 million and then to permit the Selectboard to petition the state Legislature to allow Northfield to buy property in its neighboring town.

“It will not effect the tax rate,” said Dan Campbell, who chairs the Northfield Finance Committee. “We have already set aside money to do this.”

The $2.1 million comes from $312,012 from the Sale of Cell Tower Easement Account, nearly $1.11 million from the Emergency Services Building Account and $680,479 from the Capital Stabilization Fund.

Barry Bordner, an Emergency Services Facility Building Committee member, spoke at length about the proposed facility’s amenities and the benefit it would provide to Northfield.

“This is a tremendous value,” he told his fellow residents.

But Paul Gorzocoski III spoke in opposition to purchasing the facility, suggesting the price tag was too much to pay “for a clubhouse in Bernardston.”

“This, in my humble opinion, is just not a wise choice for Northfield,” he said.

Citizen’s petition voted down

Before adjourning, residents rejected a citizen’s petition to abolish the town administrator position and prohibit the offering of any contracts for it. Brian Bordner stood up to explain that he filed the petition article, which would replace the town administrator with an administrative assistant with a maximum $75,000 salary, and reassign the town administrator’s duties and responsibilities to the Selectboard.

“The great thing about our democracy is if we don’t like the way our government is, we can change it,” he said, adding that his petition accumulated 130 signatures.

A motion to take no action on this article failed.

In making their arguments, Brian Bordner and others occasionally referred to current Town Administrator Andrea Llamas, prompting Moderator Nathan L’Etoile to remind them to speak broadly about the position itself and not mention specific people. Llamas left the auditorium before discussion began. Brian Bordner aired his grievances with the Selectboard and said he believes Northfield would be better off without a town administrator.

Others, including former Selectboard member Alex Meisner, praised the current town administrator and urged attendees to vote against the measure.

Bruce Kahn said having a problem with the Selectboard and taking it out on a town administrator is like “being angry at your wife and kicking your dog.”

The Selectboard had voted 3-1 against recommending the citizen’s petition article, while the Finance Committee voted unanimously against recommendation.

The remaining warrant articles, all of which were approved, establish a separate recreation fund to hold fees and fund programs held by the Recreation Commission’s summer, winter and out-of-school time and/or vacation programming; transfer $3,668 from free cash to the Library Circulation/Substitute Payroll Account; and transfer the care and control of 19 acres on Swamp Road to the Selectboard to pursue future opportunities.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or
413-930-4120.