Wareham Fire District voters have approved spending $1.2 million for land for a new fire station near the intersection of Routes 28 and 195.

After much debate, voters at the district's annual meeting, held Monday, April 9, approved the measure by an overwhelming 64 votes in the affirmative to 10 votes in the negative. A 2/3 majority was needed to pass the measure.

The decision was made following an hour and a half of deliberation between voters, members of the Prudential Committee, and Wareham Fire Chief Robert McDuffy.

The Wareham Fire District is the larger of the town's two fire districts, covering all of Wareham up to the area of the old Staples building on Cranberry Highway in East Wareham. The Onset Fire District covers Onset and the remainder of East Wareham. The fire districts are separate entities from the Town of Wareham, overseen by elected Prudential Committees. Both provide water and fire protection to their respective areas.

Wareham Fire District voters first entertained the idea of a new fire station during a June, 2011 special district meeting, during which they OK'd the spending of $18,000 for a "space-needs analysis" of the Wareham Fire Department.

Architectural firm Kaestle Boos Associates, Inc. completed the analysis, and representatives explained Monday that they determined the department's current facilities to be too small, non-compliant with building codes, in need of significant large-item purchases, and unsuited for the further development of the town.

McDuffy echoed those sentiments, saying that the Main Street fire station is inadequate for the department's needs.

McDuffy listed increased traffic congestion, the inability to fit all of the fire trucks into the firehouse, and even the current "Streetscape" project, which is adding sidewalk space to Main Street, as factors that could impact emergency-response times.

"We've outgrown all of our facilities," said McDuffy, "and we need to forecast what the future presents for the Wareham Fire Department."

McDuffy also said that he saw the commercial sector of Wareham shifting to the west, citing Wareham Crossing, new industrial parks, and the future Walmart as evidence of that shift.

The Wareham Fire Department would like to build a new fire station in the vicinity of Route 28 and Interstate 195, close to Tobey Road and Tihonet Road, which can serve as alternate response routes, to accommodate that shift and to help quicken response times.

The Main Street firehouse and adjacent fire department headquarters, as well as the West Wareham firehouse would be shut down and could be sold or leased to help fund the new firehouse, McDuffy said.

The fire department will now ask property owners who believe they have land in locations that meet the needs of the proposed station to put forth descriptions of their land as well as an asking price.

Voter Jane Donahue wondered whether it was necessary to authorize $1.2 million in order to go through the process of receiving bids from different landowners. She proposed amending the article and removing the dollar figure, noting that the money could be authorized after the fire department selected an appropriate parcel of land. Voters did not approve that amendment, however.

McDuffy added after the meeting that the $1.2 million would be a bargaining tool during the negotiating process with potential landowners.

In other business:

Voters unanimously passed a remaining 13 articles, almost all of which pertained to budgetary matters.

Voters approved budgets of $3,792,387 for the Wareham Water Department and $4,464,600 for the Fire Department, the Prudential Committee, Clerk/Treasurer, and the Mechanics Division.

Two articles were put off for a later date. One article concerned the purchase of a new Water Service truck. It was recommended for further study by the Board of Water Commissioners. The second concerned the addition of $100,000 to a "stabilization fund." The Prudential Committee recommended that it be postponed indefinitely.