MATTAPOISETT — After years of hard work and dedication, the Town of Mattapoisett unveiled its new fire station on Saturday, Dec. 11 to a full house of visitors from around the community.

Select Board Chairman and Mattapoisett Fire Captain Jordan Collyer gave an emotional speech at the ceremony, where he talked about the many memories that were created and shared in the former fire station at 26 County Rd. and the importance of holding onto and cherishing them.

“Usually my public speaking starts with ‘I’d like to establish a quorum,’ but this is much better than any Select Board quorum we’ve had,” he said, looking around the crowded apparatus bay of the new station. “It was actually very tough to give this speech today. It was one of the hardest I’ve given in my life.”

The ribbon cutting ceremony also featured speeches from Fire Chief Andrew Murray, Chairman of the Fire Station Building Committee Michael Hickey and Rev. Lucia Anne Jackson of the Mattapoisett Congregational Church as well as facility tours and refreshments.

“It’s taken a small army to accomplish this,” said Murray in thanking the many town officials past and present that worked to make the new station a reality.

Murray said that the project has been 30 years in the works, though it really picked up about four years ago. Now, the department is scheduled to be fully operational at the new location at 62 County Rd. by Dec. 20.

During his speech, Murray described some of the many improvements that the new fire station will bring to the department.

High on the list were proper ventilation and cleaning equipment that will reduce the amount of pollution and carcinogens that firefighters are exposed to; enough space to house all the department’s trucks and equipment, which had previously been spread between five separate locations around town; adequate office space, training facilities and overnight accommodations; and an on-site machine that can refill oxygen tanks.

After the speeches, certificates of appreciation were awarded to Hickey, Collyer, Murray, Town Administrator Michael Lorenco, Former Town Administrator Michael Gagne, Interim Police Chief Jason King, William Cantor, and Andrew Bobola.

Ribbon cutting and flag raising ceremonies followed and the event ended with tours of the facility.