Town of Newbury
Public Safety Complex Committee
~ MINUTES ~
DATE: January 8, 2014 Approved as written, 2/26/2014
Present: Tracy Blais, Keith Grant, Eric Svahn, Martha Taylor, Curtis Walton (part-time)
Absent: Sam Joslin, John Lucey, Jr., Rob Serino
Guests: Fred Thurlow
Martha Taylor, Chair, called the meeting to order at 8:21 a.m.
GOAL AND PHASES OF THE PROJECT
GOAL: To design and build a public safety complex for the Town of Newbury that will house the Newbury Police Department, Newbury Fire/Protection 2 and Emergency Management with space and resources to accommodate both agencies’ needs for the next 50 years while renovating the existing Town Hall building to better accommodate Town Hall services.
1. Deficiency Report
2. Site Feasibility Report
3. Design Phase
4 Construction & Renovation Phases
MEETING MINUTES
Motion: Action on the minutes of December 4, 2013 was deferred until the next meeting.
BOARD OF FIRE ENGINEERS/FIRE COMPANY CONCERNS
- T. Blais noted that the Board of Fire Engineers has been great at including the Public Safety Complex as a standing item on its agenda and that no concerns were raised at the last meeting. The discussion focused on replacement of Engine #10.
OLD BUSINESS / PENDING ACTION ITEMS
- Negotiations: T. Blais reported that completion of negotiations is still pending. K. Grant noted that MINCO Corporation has done the bank appraisal; the report still needs to be submitted.
- Project Costs/Budget – FF & E: The Fire Department FF & E list is completed; the final FF & E lists for shared spaces and the Police Department are pending.
- Public Outreach: The presentation on the Public Safety Complex will be made to Town Department Heads at the Monthly Managers Meeting later in the month. It will then be made to the Finance Committee and the Capital Planning Committee in early February. It was noted that presentations to the public should include a full recap of all the options that were explored. The report and the PowerPoint presentation are to be posted on the Town’s website.
NEW BUSINESS
- Citizen Comments: Fred Thurlow attended the meeting to provide the Committee with some information regarding the Protection #2 site and to express some concerns about the location. He noted that the area being considered for the Complex was at one time a dump and consists of garbage covered by clean fill and suggested that the Complex, including Town Hall, be more centrally located within the Town, ideally near the intersection of Route 1 and Hanover Street, where it could tie into sewer. He wondered how this site came to be chosen and also what the issues are with the Fire Station.
The Committee members noted that the Town is aware of potential subsurface issues on the site and will be conducting, at a minimum, a Phase 1 21E study. A number of other sites were considered, each of which presented significant issues for development; the Protection #2 site rose to the top of the list when the Fire Department became involved. While the Police Station contains the most serious deficiencies, the Fire Department is also deficient – aspects of the facility are antiquated, maintenance costs are extremely high, the existing spaces do not meet current fire station standards, and critical spaces are lacking.
The Town is trying to develop a comprehensive vision for the future and doesn’t want to build a new Police Station only to find in five to seven years that the Fire Station is no longer viable and must be replaced. Newburyport has said that the Town cannot tie into sewer on Hanover Street/ Route 1, but has agreed to allow tie in for the new Complex and for Town Hall. T. Blais concluded by saying that the Selectmen have given the Committee the charge to address the issues in these facilities and the Committee is working to put together the best proposal it can.
On a motion made by T. Blais and seconded by K. Grant, the meeting was adjourned at 9:01.
NEXT MEETING:
January 15, 2014, 8:15 a.m., Fire Hall
Respectfully submitted,
Martha L. Taylor
Town Planner
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