Finance Committee authorizes up to $5.09 million for Lock Drive fire station purchase

MARLBOROUGH -- March 21, 2022, Marlborough Finance Committee clears $5.09 million Westside fire station land deal, 5-0. The committee authorized Mayor Arthur Vigeant to negotiate the purchase of 100 Lock Drive, an 11.64-acre parcel, at a price not to exceed $5,092,666.66 drawn from undesignated funds, the statutory ceiling for a friendly acquisition. Vigeant said the figure is a starting point: "Do I think we're going to buy the building for that number? No, I don't." Council President Michael Ossing warned the project requires eight council votes for any eminent domain taking or construction bond and tied his support to a separate $1.42 million Green District mitigation transfer into a newly created Westside Fire Station Stabilization Account, which the committee also established 5-0. Fire Chief Kevin Breen said the state has more than $30 million available in fiscal 2023 to seed regional dispatch centers, with Southborough committed to joining a Marlborough-hosted operation. The committee also approved a $361,080.93 PEG transfer to fund WMCT-TV.