Tyngsborough Fire Station Committee Plans Redesign After Voters Reject $24.8 Million Project

Fire Building Committee · Meeting of June 3, 2026

Tyngsborough fire station committee regroups after voters reject $24.8 million proposal, eyes October return. The Fire Station Building Committee met June 3 to debrief after a roughly 50-50 ballot defeat on a $24.6 to $24.8 million station proposal and agreed to pursue a scaled-down design targeting an October 29 town meeting vote. Town Administrator Colin said the committee's contract with architect H2M has expired but that remaining funds from the original $300,000 schematic-design appropriation should cover a revised cost estimate, adding that he is "confident" no new appropriation will be required.

Members estimated cumulative spending across three public-safety-building attempts since 2019 at roughly half a million dollars, with $4 to $5 million in soft costs alone baked into any future proposal before construction begins. Construction professional Tommy Foster of Jocks Road urged the committee to pursue prefabricated concrete construction to reduce prevailing-wage labor costs, citing laborer rates exceeding $100 per hour in total employer cost. Select Board member Eric Eldridge, speaking for himself, told the committee: "You did exactly what you were asked to do" — and said the new charge is finding a fire station the town will actually approve.

In the full story:

• Background and stakes
• The question before the body
• Substantive content
• The deliberation
• Procedural outcome
• Background and stakes
• The complete report — 2,462 words

Source: the Fire Building Committee meeting of June 3, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.