Board OKs release of Farmers Row land rights
Groton fire staffing study urges four more firefighters as calls climb 35 percent.
Select Board · Meeting of September 28, 2026
Groton fire staffing study urges four more firefighters as calls climb 35 percent. Consultant Jack Power told the Select Board and Finance Committee in joint session Monday that overlapping emergency calls have risen 420 percent since 2022 and the paid on-call firefighter roster has fallen from about 40 to 18. Power recommended adding a firefighter to each of the department's four shifts and studying a move to advanced life support, warning "call firefighting is a thing of the past." Fire Chief Cheeks, retiring in 44 days, said a "half a million dollar ambulance" sometimes sits unstaffed while crews are tied up elsewhere.
No vote was taken; the board will set fiscal 2028 budget guidance at an October 26 joint session. Separately, the board voted 5-0 to release its right of first refusal on two Chapter 61A lots at 44 Farmers Row, clearing a sale tied to restoration of the historic Lawrence Homestead.
In the full story:
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Source: the Select Board meeting of September 28, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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