Press Releases

Today, Congressman Richard E. Neal joined Southbridge Town Administrator John Jovan, Jr., Southbridge Fire Department Chief Paul Normandin, Southbridge Fire Department Deputy Chief and Chair of the Fire Station Building Committee Joseph Hulyk, and town officials to announce a $1,000,000 earmark for construction of the new Southbridge Fire Station. 

The allocation was made possible through Congressionally Direct Spending (CDS) from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Housing Service. Congressman Neal included funding for this project in the Fiscal Year 2024 spending bill that was signed into law by President Biden on March 9, 2024. This funding will help address unintended budgetary gaps, ensuring construction of the new Southbridge Fire Station can move forward. 

“The challenges facing our emergency personnel are numerous, something I know very well from my time as a mayor. Those challenges are exacerbated when you are confronted with a centuries-old station, which is why I fought to secure $1 million in funding for this critical project,” said Congressman Neal. “Firefighters are some of the most selfless members of our communities, putting their lives on the line every day to ensure the safety of others. That is why we must ensure they have the necessary resources to perform their critical work, and for the Southbridge Fire Department, that means a new fire station.” 

Built in 1899, the Southbridge Fire Station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places with the National Park Service. Having been built when the Fire Department still used horse-drawn equipment, the current station does not meet the needs of a modern fire department, making it difficult to accommodate present day equipment. The current department consists of 31 career and 6 call firefighters who responded to more than 4,000 calls in 2023. 

“One million dollars in federal funding is welcomed news to the residents of Southbridge for the town’s new fire station,” said Southbridge Deputy Fire Chief Joseph Hulyk. “I look forward to continuing working with Congressman Neal and others representing Massachusetts at the federal level to pursue additional funding opportunities to support completion of this project and ease the burden of Southbridge taxpayers.” 

A 2018 feasibility study determined that constructing a new facility would be the most cost-effective solution for the Town of Southbridge. Funding secured by Congressman Neal will support the construction of a new station located on Worcester Street that will remedy issues facing the current station, including: 

• Narrow apparatus bays designed for smaller horse drawn, steam driven equipment that were not constructed to accommodate modern equipment; 
• Minimal and antiquated floor drains, resulting in runoff when firetrucks remain on the floor; 
• No separate decontamination area, requiring trucks to be cleaned outside; 
• Insufficient storage for protective equipment, air tanks, compressor, and ambulance equipment, making them vulnerable to contaminates from exhaust; 
• No first aid room and a non-ADA compliant public restroom; and 
• A dispatch center that does not meet national recommendations for emergency communication centers. 

Under guidelines issued by the Senate and House Appropriations Committees, members of Congress requested CDS funding for projects in their state for Fiscal Year 2024. CDS requests were restricted to a limited number of federal funding streams, and only state and local governments, and eligible non-profit entities, were permitted to receive CDS funding. 

This project is one of thirteen CDS projects submitted by Congressman Neal, totaling nearly $15 million in investments throughout the First Congressional District of Massachusetts. 

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