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I was surprised and disappointed to see The Current’s limited coverage of the Nov. 16 dedication of the Beacon Fire Department’s new central station. Nearly 300 community members attended the celebration, a historic event for the City of Beacon and a salute to our first responders past and present. Costing $14.7 million, the 17,000-square-foot facility is the largest capital project in the city’s history. Beacon’s decades-long transition from three firehouses operated by volunteer companies to a central fire station with primarily career firefighters has spanned four mayoral administrations and at least nine City Councils. Over the years, scores of community leaders, along with experts and volunteer and career firefighting staff, have spent countless hours working to plan for the future of the Fire Department. The fact that this day was so long in coming makes our community all the more proud of our new station. Many Beacon community members had watched the building take shape over the past two years and eagerly awaited the dedication and a chance to tour the facility. I am a 32-year Beacon resident and I organized the committee that spent several months planning the dedication ceremony. Our committee members included Denise Doring VanBuren, president of the Beacon Historical Society; volunteer firefighters Tom DiCastro of Beacon Engine, Matthew Naughton, president of Mase Hook & Ladder Co. and Bill Plimley, president of Lewis Tompkins Hose Co.; Beacon Fire Department Chief Thomas Lucchesi; Chris White, Beacon city administrator, and Ben Swanson, assistant to the mayor. We reached out… Read more »