Westwood Taps $200,000 in Mitigation Funds for Emergency Fire Station Structure

WESTWOOD — March 9, 2026 — Westwood Select Board authorizes $200,000 sprung structure to address failed Fire Station 1 apparatus bay. Fire Chief Steve Lund told the board that the collapse of the apparatus bay floor at FS1 has forced all staffed vehicles and personnel to relocate to Fire Station 2 in Islington, with the station now closed at night and mutual aid activated with neighboring towns, leaving response times to the High Street side of town compromised. The board chose a temporary sprung structure over a costly floor repair, drawing up to $200,000 from mitigation funds held under the town's Community Services Agreement with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; an emergency procurement waiver from the Commonwealth is already in hand. Chair Marianne LeBlanc Cummings called the action "only a temporary band-aid and not a permanent solution to the long-term needs of the fire department." The board also adopted amended alcoholic beverage regulations implementing Chapter 14 of the Acts of 2026 — signed by Governor Healey on January 30 — including a prohibition on containers smaller than a pint and a requirement that one-day liquor license applicants pair their application with a food vendor holding a temporary food permit.