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CAPTIAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM COMMITTEE
TOWN OF WILLINGTON
TOWN OFFICE BUILDING
January 7, 2015
Members present: Kelly Trueb, Chairman, Stuart Cobb, Donna Latincsics, First Selectman Christina Beebe Mailhos, John Patton, Barry Wallett, Steven Vera, Peter Tanaka, Mark Makuch (arrived 7:03 p.m.) and Alan Ference (arrived 7:05 p.m.) Members absent: None.
Others Present: Tom Snyder and Mike Makuch from Willington Hill Fire Department, Alex Moore, Trevor Gantick, Josh Strickland and Tyler Millix (arrived around 8:25 p.m.) from Willington Fire Department #1 and Ed Taiman from Willington Parks and Recreation Commission.
The meeting was called to order by Chairman Kelly Trueb at 7:00 p.m.
1. No one was present to speak.
2. Approval of Minutes. John Patton moved to approve the minutes, seconded by Steven Vera. Motion passed.
3. Review of CIP Submittals. The CIP submittals for review tonight are Willington Fire Department #1 (WFD #1), Willington Hill Fire Department (WHFD) and Willington Parks and Recreation Commission.
Going in order of the agenda, WFD #1 will present first and Alex Moore, Deputy Chief is starting with the Fire Station addition to the firehouse at 426 River Road; $47,900 planning, engineering and inspection fiscal year 15-16, $300,000 planning engineering and inspection fiscal year 17-18 and $2,950,000 construction and $50,000 equipment purchases fiscal year 19-20. They would like to have a training/meeting area, bunk room, a storage area and additional office space. The present building was constructed in 1981. This is a 24/7 station and the firefighters sleep right outside the bays. The Town EOC (Emergency Operations Center) is located at this building now, and this would give them room to make it an actual EOC, instead of the EOC being in the bunk room. Stuart Cobb mentioned that Kaestle Boos Associates
(architect) was commissioned by the Town to do a study on this firehouse, the Willington Hill firehouse and the Senior Center some time ago; however, they felt the architect went a little overboard with the plans and would scale down what was suggested. John Patton questioned where they came up with the $3,000,000 figure for the addition, and Stuart interjected that they used the study done by Kaestle Boos as it is they only estimate they had to go on, and is probably on the high side. Their next step would be to hire a professional and see what the costs would be. Barry Wallett asked if there would be an advantage to having one meeting house and two separate garages for both departments. Stuart said that the question would be where the vehicles are parked in relationship to the call, where would you keep the record keeping, the offices, the storage, etc.; it could be all in one area, but with the two separate departments it could be difficult. A long
discussion was held on studies regarding the two departments and consolidation and the fact that this study by Kaestle Boos was supposed to give a recommendation on that, but instead gave recommendations on what should be done with each department separately. Mike Makuch mentioned that a lot of the surrounding fire departments are experiencing the same situation we are here as most of the fire departments were built between the 1930’s and 1950’s and are now changing and outgrowing their buildings. Department consolidations of other towns were discussed with Mansfield and Vernon being the two around here.
Consolidating the two departments was discussed and it was mentioned that two previous studies on consolidation were done; however votes were taken both times and either one or the other department did not vote for it. It is a hot topic with some members on both sides for and against consolidation. Barry Wallett qualified his previous remark that he wasn’t trying to get the two departments to consolidate, just to save money by having one building for some of this stuff instead of two buildings with duplicate items. A discussion was had on the two departments deciding on their own to consolidate or be forced by the town. Barry Wallett and Mark Makuch both feel that the town could fund one expansion of one building, but not two. One of WHFD’s requests is for an expansion of their building also and another
of their requests is for a new firehouse.
Their second request is to replace 12 self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and spare cylinders; $110,000 equipment purchases fiscal year 17-18. Stuart Cobb explained that they are backpacks that are worn with an air cylinder on the back of them and are used in smoky environments. The 12 they are looking to replace were purchased in 1989 and 1991. Parts for the 1989 units are no longer available. Federal DOT regulations require that all air cylinders more than 15 years old be replaced, and each pack has two cylinders which cost about $800 to $900 a piece. The bulk of their cylinders expire in 2018. They applied for a FEMA Grant a year ago to fund this, but did not get it, and they applied again about a month ago, however it takes a year to hear if they will receive it. If this grant is
rejected they have one more year they can apply for the grant. They have pushed this request out as far as they feel that they can when the bottles expire and they will hopefully still be able to get parts for them. A question was asked if they would save any money by ordering together with WHFD as they both have a request in for this and the answer was no; there wasn’t a savings or discount by ordering in bulk. A discussion ensued regarding the brand of packs and compatibility of the packs between the two departments. At this time, Mike Makuch took out a SCBA pack they had brought with them and explained it to the committee. Mark Makuch asked how often these packs were used and it was explained that they weren’t used all that often as there are more EMS (emergency medical service) calls than fire calls; however they are required to use them on all fires, i.e. house/building fires, vehicle fires, rubbish fires, etc. and they also are required
to wear them for hazardous material calls. Stuart explained the FEMA grants, how they work and when they are awarded. Kelly Trueb asked if this item is pushed out to fiscal year 2017-2018 would the price go up from the $110,000. Stuart said that the only thing that would drive the price up would be an NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) revision which is unlikely in the next two years as they just did one a couple of years ago. First Selectman Mailhos wanted to clarify that their only request for this next fiscal year 15-16, was the $47,900 for engineering, planning and inspection for the addition. They stated that was correct.
Moving on to WHFD, their first request is to replace rescue tools and air bag system; $35,000 equipment purchases fiscal year 15-16. Mike Makuch started with the air bag system; showing the committee what an airbag was. He stated that they recently did some research on airbags, and the airbags that they have were manufactured in 1989 and the manufacturer said they can be used for 10 years and if they are in good condition, they could be used for 15 years, and they are obviously past both of those expiration dates. They are taking those bags out of service because of their age. Mike then explained what the airbags were used for, i.e. spreading open doors on motor vehicles, getting under garage doors, lifting equipment off of people, etc. The replacement should only have to be the bags (4), which of the
$35,000 requested would be roughly $5,500. A question was asked as to how often they use them and Mike stated approximately once a year. Barry Wallett asked why just the bags need replacing and not the rest of the system, and Mike explained that you can get the air from anywhere (i.e. off the air lines from the trucks, the air tanks for the SCBA have a regulator you can put on them to inflate the bags, etc.), the hoses and the valves are not subject to the same stress as the bags.
The second part of this request is to replace the rescue tool (also more commonly known as the “jaws of life” or Hurst tool), which Mike then showed to the committee. Mike mentioned that WHFD purchased their rescue tool in 1990 or 1991 and that WFD #1 already had a rescue tool at that time, purchasing their first one around 1976 or 1977. Mike explained that when they were purchasing their rescue tool, they did extensive research on it, and although they could have bought the same brand as WFD #1, they went with Holmatro. Over the years they have added more pieces to the tool which Mike then explained what they were and how they work. Mike stated that the issues looking for replacement of these is two-fold. The first issue is the age of the equipment and being able to get parts for it, and the
second issue is the high density metal that vehicles are made of now. The new vehicles are made of a higher density than this tool can handle, and the new generation of tools can handle the higher density metals. Mike then handed out a small packet to the committee which contains different articles on modern rescue tools vs. recent rescue tools being able to cut vehicles open for them to look at later. (This article is attached to the minutes.) Their request for the replacement of the rescue tool and all of the attachments would be $29,500. Mike stated that this could be purchased in pieces as they did with the rescue tool they have now, however, some new generation pieces might not be compatible with the older tool, but they don’t have to purchase it all at once. A discussion was had on compatibility issues with old and new equipment mixed and as well as compatibility with WFD #1, and then pricing on a new tool (discounts, trading in equipment as
well as selling what they have used) was discussed. The bottom line on this request is $5,500 would cover the air bags, and the remaining $29,500 would complete the rescue tool purchase.
WHFD’s second request is replacement of SCBA bottles; $40,000 equipment purchases fiscal year 16-17. Mike Makuch mentioned that this subject has already been discussed extensively with WFD #1’s request. He stated the reason they are requesting the bottles two years before they expire is because it is a more critical request as far as firefighter safety than the requests they have for the years after that. They want the committee to know that they are needed and 2019 is the deadline for purchasing them as they expire that year. This request could be broken up into parts and spread out over a few years which is another reason why they have them in this fiscal year. Their packs are newer and won’t need to be replaced. All equipment is functional now and will be functional past 2019; however, the
vendor that services them won’t touch them after 2019 when they are expired.
Their third request is Old Farms Road Station renovations phase II and town water hook-up; $90,000 construction fiscal year 17-18. When they went to ZBA (Zoning Board of Appeals) a couple of years back and got the plan approved for the building additions, it was in three phases. Phase one was the bay addition that they added two years ago. Phase two is pushing out the back wall of the rest of the station so it squares up with the new addition. It will give them storage room in the back; get the bumpers of the trucks away from the doors and a little more room around the trucks. It will replace the old truck body shed that is currently in place. They would also like tie into the Center School water main, allowing them to replace the shallow well. First Selectman Mailhos asked if $90,000 was enough
to do this phase. Mike stated it was. He said they funded the bay addition privately for $61,000 and even though some of the work was donated, the value worked out to $61,000. That was more structurally complicated because they opened up the end wall of the station into the bays, they also had to add electrical power to that bay and added other systems in there including piping to go to the water line should they tie into that.
Their fourth request is rust repair and equipment modernization of 1991 Engine Tank 149; $90,000 other fiscal year 18-19. Mike Makuch stated there is good news on this request as the truck has not started rusting out yet, so they keep pushing this request further out. Usually after 20 years their vehicles start rusting and need repair, however, this vehicle has only needed minor repairs so far. They just got their 1996 rescue truck back in service after having it redone due to rust, and they believe eventually they will have to do the same with this 1991 engine tank. They anticipate four years from now, they may have to do something with it, however, they will keep pushing the request out in years if it keeps holding up. They are just planning ahead with this request. A question was asked as to how
long it would extend the life of the fire truck, and Mike said generally 5 to 10 more years after a refurbishing which usually happens when the truck is around 20 years old. They have a 1981 truck that was refurbished around 2001 that served them for a few more years and is now at housed at WFD #1 as a backup until their new truck comes in, so that $90,000 investment in refurbishing yielded them 15 more years with that truck.
Their fifth request is design and construction of a new fire station; $4,700,000 construction fiscal year 19-20. Mike Makuch stated that they had this in the plan for years but removed it. They were then told if it wasn’t on the plan, it would be perceived that they weren’t planning on it, so now they added it back on. Mike said the question could be made as to why they need a new station and an addition, and the reason is they need the addition now and the prospects of a new station would be at least a few years out if at all. First Selectman Mailhos asked if they were unified in their requests as they met before this meeting. Mike stated that the only request they could combine would be the air tanks, and that would depend on whether any grants were received, as they probably
wouldn’t be able to combine the request if one department received a grant for this. However, if no grants were received, they could combine that request and possibly get a savings. The other request for WFD #1 is an addition to their firehouse, which WHFD is also requesting, but Mike stated that WHFD’s request is for storage space and WFD #1 is for administrative reasons, bunk space, etc. Stuart Cobb mentioned that the plans for each department were developed individually. There was an attempt for both departments to meet, however, they were unable to do that before the requests were due.
Moving on to the Parks and Recreation Commission, Ed Taiman stated that he would be presenting the requests for Joe Colangelo who was unable to attend. The first request is for a fit trail; $4,700 for construction and $10,700 for equipment purchases, totaling $15,400 fiscal year 15-16. Ed states they would like to install 10 station fitness system along the walking path at the River Road site, and they are made out of wood and the different stations include a chin up station, a balance beam, stretching station, push up station, etc.
Their second request is for power drops; $2,350 construction and $5,350 equipment purchases for a total of $7,700 fiscal year 16-17. They would like to add power drops in four locations at the River Road complex. At some point they are going to put a score board up for little league and at some point they will need power to operate that, a controller, a PA system for calling games especially on Opening Day and for other events that might be held down there. They would one day like to see Willington Day held there. Ed stated that during the spring, summer and fall this complex is used quite a bit although when they were building it, there was a lot of opposition from the townspeople.
Ed then jumped ahead to his fifth request which was for field lighting; $1,375 planning, engineering and inspection, $22,000 construction and $64,625 equipment purchases for a total of $88,000 fiscal year 19-20. This would allow for night games and regional tournament play.
Their third request is for parking lot lighting and video surveillance; $2,500 construction and $10,000 equipment purchases for a total of $12,500 fiscal year 17-18. They would like to install lighting around the area for parking and video surveillance camera(s). They plan to put a shed there with some tools, part of the shed will be a snack bar and there will be irrigation equipment there as well as baseball equipment. This complex is isolated and close to both Rt. 32 and I-84, therefore they would like lighting to the parking lot and surveillance equipment which could be monitored remotely online with a feed into the Town Office Building. People could just check online and see what’s going on there. Al Ference stated that a lot of thought was put into this complex when planning it as it was roughed out
for electricity and irrigation, planning for the future, the infrastructure is already there. Mark Makuch asked if it would be expensive to use the electricity there (not install, just use). Al Ference stated there would be a cost, but it wouldn’t be astronomical.
Their fourth request is for a recreation support building; $2,750 planning, engineering and inspection, $181,500 construction and $30,250 equipment purchases for a total of $214,500 fiscal year 18-19. Ed Taiman stated that in the original design this building is in there. This building would house a kitchen, storage area, bathrooms and possibly the Rec Office could be there eventually. They feel that with a real kitchen down there, they could have some really good fundraising events. They would like more than a snack bar which basically serves items that aren’t cooked other than popcorn or heating hot dogs. Al Ference reiterated again that this park has been completely thought out in phases and all of these requests are parts of the phases to make this an all-inclusive facility.
Mike Makuch stated that security for that field is very important and should be part of the plan especially with the location of the field. Mark Makuch agreed with this and believes there should be cameras as well as signs stating there are cameras everywhere.
Kelly Trueb asked if anyone had any other comments or questions regarding any of the requests presented tonight. As there were no other questions Kelly asked for a motion to adjourn.
Steve Vera moved to adjourn the meeting seconded by John Patton. Motion passed. This meeting was adjourned at 8:41 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Eileen Smith
Recording Secretary
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