At least one hundred Wellfleetians gathered in front of our brand new fire station at noon today to attend the opening ceremony.
Chief Dan Silverman gave a brief history of the project, thanked everyone needing thanks, and described general satisfaction with the results, a beautiful, energy-efficient fire station finished “on time and on budget,” eleven days early in fact, thanks to the efficiency of Bufftree Building. Some of the eco-friendly features are great insulation, natural lighting whenever possible, florescent or LED lights, radiant heat in the garage, and air-exchange to avoid the admission of exhaust. 
And, the south-facing wall will soon have photovoltaic panels, to save on the cost of electricity. Cape Light Compact has announced a $13,778 rebate for the town in recognition of these significant energy-efficiencies. Our new fire station is “a model for how public construction projects can be done right,” Silverman said with evident pride. Tony Digiantomasso, Senior Project Manager for Bufftree, presented Silverman with the shovel used for the groundbreaking ceremony, now engraved with the Wellfleet insignia. 
Silverman then singled out Captain Tom Ferreira as the most senior member of Wellfleet’s fire department and a key figure in the move from the old building across Lawrence Road. It was Ferreira who had the honor of cutting the red, white and blue ribbon, using with the same scissors purchased for the opening of Uncle Tim’s Bridge in November. Then the assembled guests were invited to explore the building, which is quite impressive indeed. Everyone seemed to enjoy the buffet lunch, but the most fun of all was surely had by younger guests whose eyes revealed dreams of becoming firemen. What fun to meet heroes in person and be allowed to climb aboard fire engines!
