MATTAPOISETT — The Fire Station Building Committee has selected The Vertex Companies Inc. of Weymouth as their engineer and Context Architecture of Boston as their Designer for the fire department project.

The committee appeared before the Board of Selectmen at their Jan. 8 meeting to give a progress update on the work they had done in filling key positions for the new fire station, which will be constructed in the empty field next to the police station.

Context Architecture has been in business 30 years, and has completed 56 public safety and fire projects.

“We did a lot of reference checking, and they came highly recommended by everyone we spoke to,” said Michael Hickey

If a government project will cost more than $1.5 million dollars the town has to do an ad and RFP for the project manager, and then a second ad and RFP for the designer.

The five member committee, which included Town Administrator Michael Gagne, Building Inspector Andrew Bobola, and Jordan Collyer of the Board of Selectmen, also “looked at a lot of other fire stations to get an idea of what we wanted to do,” Hickey explained.

He also stated that the committee would continue looking at other fire stations as the process continues.

The committee’s criteria for the new building included a structure that can be easily maintained, is durable, low-key, and fits with the character of the town.

Context Architecture will perform the conceptual work and schematic plan for the building, and will also provide with two cost estimates by April, so that the issue can appear at the next Town Meeting.

“A lot has to be done in a short period of time,” Hickey said.

However, the committee is well within its budget for the initial surveying and planning for the project. Town meeting allocated $260,000 for the initial part of the project, but Collyer stated that the committee has spent less than half of that sum. 

The committee will host a public information session in the future.

The site for the future fire station is currently being surveyed. 

“If residents see equipment and backhoes on the lot, it’s because they are doing a geotechnical survey to study infiltration and runoff, so people should be forewarned that’s what that is, ” Collyer stated.