Sandisfield Board of Selectmen and Fire Corporation Deadlock on Station Lease Terms

SANDISFIELD -- August 27, 2025, Sandisfield Board of Selectmen fails to reach agreement with fire station corporation over lease terms. The board met in a work session with Sandisfield Fire Department, Inc. the private nonprofit that owns both town fire stations at 79 South Main Street and 207 Sandisfield Road, in the first substantive negotiating session since voters approved a building gift at the May 2025 annual town meeting. SFDI representative Ralph Morrison declined to gift the properties "at this time" and presented lease terms calling for $20,000 in annual rent, a 10 percent yearly escalator, and tenant responsibility for heating, septic, plumbing, and electrical systems, terms the board characterized as a triple net lease that would leave the town paying all building costs. The board countered with a proposal to pay town-meeting-approved figures of $4,020.40 and $6,756.98 for the two stations in FY26, then $20,000 annually for five years with no escalator, after which ownership would transfer to the town. The parties agreed to reconvene in approximately four weeks with revised draft lease language.