Photo: The Berkshire Eagle. Used with permission.

On following pages 4 and 5 are reports that are important to understanding the proposal that the Select Board will present at the Annual Town Meeting (May 17) regarding the Town's fire stations, as well as understanding the ongoing conflict between the Town's Select Board and the Sandisfield Fire Department, Inc.

A few residents might ask, "Don't you mean the Sandisfield Fire Department?"

In this case, no. The subject is the Sandisfield Fire Department, Inc. (SFDI), a nonprofit organization that owns the Town's two fire stations. These facilities are leased to the Town for use by the Sandisfield Fire Department, a separate municipal entity.

One source of conflict is that lease. The Town currently pays SFDI about $10,000 per year to lease the two fire stations for use by the Sandisfield Fire Department. Since 2006, the earliest date for Town records, the taxpayers have paid over $130,000 to rent what is in effect their own fire house. And like everywhere else, the rent goes up - in 2015, for example, the charge for both stations was $8,000; this year the charge is $10,566.06. Why would a nonprofit set up to benefit a municipality charge that municipality rent to store trucks and equipment necessary to accomplish the stated goals of the nonprofit?

Another point of conflict is the memory of many in Town that Station #2, built by donation and much local expertise, was to have been deeded to the Town after completion. Barbara Cormier, whose family has been in Town for decades and has served as chair and a member of many Town boards and committees, wrote on ConnectSandisfield, "I was there when we built the fire station. I was a member of the fire department and an EMT. I love our firemen and women and will always support them. This building was built on the back of many local tradesmen. My husband and sons were part of that group. They were told by Ralph it was a TOWN building. Then he said it would be turned over in one year."

To help rectify those issues and others, the Select Board is currently proposing that the Town vote at the upcoming Annual Town Meeting to acquire the two firehouses from SFDI by "gift, purchase, or eminent domain." This would effectively end the formal relationship between the Town and SFDI, aside from any voluntary collaboration going forward.

Other towns benefit from fire association nonprofits that support their local fire department, particularly Monterey and Great Barrington, and Sandisfield could as well.