Judge: Beacon Owns Disputed Station
Retired volunteers claimed "potential ownership interest" A state judge ruled on Friday (July 25) that the City of Beacon is the sole owner of the decommissioned Beacon Engine Co. fire station at 57 East Main St. Judge Maria Rosa dismissed four requests from retired members of the volunteer fire company that had used the station as its headquarters for 136 years, including an appeal from the firefighters to finally determine who owns the facility. The basis of the complaint was the most recent operation and maintenance agreement, from 2019, between the city and the company. In it, the city agreed to pay for most insurance and all utilities and maintenance of the building while acknowledging what the volunteers and city officials had believed for decades: that Beacon Engine owned the 1889 structure, which comprises 62 percent of the 4,688-square-foot station. The city was believed to own an engine bay added in 1924. However, after the City Council voted in...