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By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Finally, the day has arrived.
On June 2, Walpole celebrated the opening of the fire department’s new building. Members of the community were able to witness history in the making as the town held a ribbon cutting ceremony and offered tours of the state-of-the-art station.
The morning’s celebration began with the first-ever raising of the flag at the new station, followed by the national anthem sung by William Buckley. Father Chip Hines also blessed the facility, and recited the Firefighter’s Prayer.
Those in attendance stood before the fire station, located in the same spot as the old one at 20 Stone Street, marveling at its fabulous architecture and updated features. Many young children also joined for the opening of the new fire station, donning their junior firefighter uniforms and holding miniature American flags.
“Walpole has been on a roll!” exclaimed Rep. Stephen Lynch. “When you go back to the library, that was a major investment by the people of Walpole ... Then, looking at the Council on Aging and the wonderful job that was done there, as well, by your town leaders, including the cleanup of the sites that made that possible; the new police station; and now, the new fire station.”
Rep. Lynch also commended the town on its new Department of Public Works facility, thanking the townspeople and Walpole’s town government for their dedication to bettering the town.
“This new fire station will provide the updated and expanded workspace for the department, and it will be the home for our firefighters, who spend a great deal of time here, as well as accommodating our expanding staff,” Lynch said.
The facility also houses Walpole’s emergency medical services vehicles, equipment, and responders.
“I think people realize that things like the library, this beautiful fire station, the police station, [and] the Council on Aging buildings are all investments in the future,” Lynch said. “I see these young children here, they will be the beneficiaries of all of this work.”
Selectman Eric Kraus also invited former selectmen in attendance to the podium to be a part of the ribbon-cutting and celebrate their accomplishments in the last four decades, which led up to the building of the new fire station.
With the ribbon cut, Walpole’s firefighters invited all into the station to tour and admire the new building - and to celebrate a much-deserved upgrade for the fire department.
