Council Funds Firefighter Contract After 700-Day Wait
Bridgewater Town Council voted 9-0 to fund a fire department arbitration award after a 700-day contract dispute. Local 2611 president Jimmy Reedy said the department is short-staffed, running "15 to 20 run volumes a day" with 11 of an ideal 15 to 17 personnel.
Select Board · Meeting of August 11, 2026
Bridgewater Town Council voted 9-0 to fund a fire department arbitration award after a 700-day contract dispute. Local 2611 president Jimmy Reedy said the department is short-staffed, running "15 to 20 run volumes a day" with 11 of an ideal 15 to 17 personnel. Firefighter and union secretary Ryan Young, a certified public accountant, told the council the award's education-stipend conversion would cost roughly $29,000 in its first year and remains well below the police department's comparable benefit.
Both the Budget and Finance Committee (3-0) and Finance Committee (5-0) had voted against recommending the funding. State Senator Bill Driscoll and Representative Dennis Gallagher urged ratification. The council also voted to accept a $125,816 Lepecky Family Trust gift and a $110,000 Bridgewater State University gift, and amended a data-center zoning ordinance to lower its size threshold from 25,000 to 5,000 square feet.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,891 words
Source: the Select Board meeting of August 11, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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