METUCHEN — A commission will take a hard look at the site of the Metuchen First Aid Squad on Safety Place for the possibility of a new firehouse this summer.
“When I took office on Dec. 18, one of the issues was the firehouse was falling apart and we really needed a new firehouse,” Mayor Jonathan Busch said. “One of the biggest concerns I had was why we haven’t gotten that done yet. It kept coming back to the fact we just couldn’t find a location. Discussion over a location has gone on for years and years now.”
The current Metuchen firehouse, which was built in 1914, is at 503 Middlesex Ave. Fire Chief Rob Donnan has previously discussed the building’s issues at past Borough Council meetings. The issues include a leaking and rotting roof, crumbling support pillars, and plumbing and electrical problems.
Busch said one location kept coming back into the discussions — the first aid squad building at 1 Safety Place.
“We decided that in order to move forward in the best interest [of the borough] and get the best firehouse the borough deserves is to form a commission for the purpose of exploring the first aid squad site for the next firehouse,” he said.
The commission will be led by Councilman Ronald Grayzel; Councilwoman Linda Koskoski; Tom Herits, a member of the Metuchen Fire Department and an engineer with Maser Consulting; Cathy Ostermueller, director of the Metuchen Senior Center; Fire Chief Rob Donnan; and Peter Fairclough, vice president of the Metuchen First Aid Squad.
“[The commission] will take a really hard look at the site and explore as many ideas as possible to figure out how to use this site best,” Busch said.