HomeMy WebLinkAbout1988-10-17 Finance Committee Minutes I
FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING OCT. 1 , 192S
RESENT : R. MUCCI
MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT ? 135
PRESENT WERE PETER. HF_CHENEI_IEKI•{ER, TOWN MANAGER. SELECTMAN
PAUL LANDERS. FIRE CHIEF, LEN R:EDFERN. .JOHN HUGHES OF
ARCHITECTURAL FIFIM OF HUGHES & MMACARTHY (DESIGNERS OF NEW
FIRE FACILITY') . EX SELECTMAN! JOHN PRICE AND NUMEROUS
INTERESTED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.
A PRESENTATION WAS MADE BY MR. LANDERS OUTLINING THE HISTORY
OF THE FIRE FACILITIES STUDY COMMITTEE. THEN PLANS WHICH
THEY PRESENTED TO TOWN MF_F_TING LAST YEAR WERE DISAPPROVED EV
THE TOWN MEETING (140TE,. FINCOM HAD R.EiXmMENDED LAST YEARS
PLPiN) . THE BASIS FOP PLANNING THIS YEARS PROPOSAL AND THE
NEED TO DO SOMETHING THIS YEAR. CBF_FOF.'.F_ THE OLD CENTRAL
STATION LOSES ITS FLOOR. I'
MR. HUGHES, THE ARCHITECT, THEN PRESENTED THE TWO ALTERNATE
PLANS FOR A CENTRAL FIFE STATION. OPTUONI IS A FIVE BAY
STATION AND THE CLOSING OF THE (JEST SIDE STATION. OPTION NO.
2 IS A THREE BAY STATION WITH THE RETENTION OF THE WEST SIDE
STATION. OPTION 1 ESTIMATED COST IS $3, 4180,000. AND OPTION
2 ESTIMATED COST IS 32. E0u++,0430. NOTE,BONDED AT 7% OVER. 10
YEARS THESE FIGURES AF'.E ACTURLLY 34.8 MILLION AND $3.6
MILLION, RESPECTIVELY.
CHIEF R.EOFERN THEN EXPLAINED WHY HE FELT THE 5 BAY STATION!
WAS: THE GEST OPTION. THE :STUDY DONE LAST YEAR EY AN OUTSIDE
CC11 SUI_TAHT INDL_ATEC1 THAT THE TOWN WOULD F:F_ BETTER'. SERVED BY
ONE LARrI-_ CEI.7TRF11._ N=ICE : .TATION PIT THE PROPOSED MAIN ST.
LCICATIONI. IT WILL. HA'JE E03IPMENT CLOSER'. TO THE POPULATION
CENTERS:, WHICH HAVE :3H 1.F1"ED FF11Gf9 THE WEST :=IDE OVER THE LAST
20 ':EAR=_. AI_5,0 THE -LAMMED DE'vELC1PMENlT ON IN THE WALKERS BROOKK.
FORD AREA WILLL BE MORE EFFECTIVELY COVERED, MAhIPOWER CAN BE
USED MORE EFFICIENTLY AND THERE SHOULD BE SAVINGS INVOLVED
IN RUNNING ONE FACILITY RATHER THAN TIDO. THE CURRENTCOMBINED
-,Q. FT. AREA OF BATH EXISTING STATIONIS IS 14,600 :SQ!. FT. THE
PROPOSED 5 BAY STATION WOULD BE 15, 200 S0 FT. AND THE
PROP'O'SED 3 BAY STATION WOULD CONJTAIN 11, 100 B:W FT.
IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE :3 BAY HAS A PARKING AREA UNDER
TNA STATIONI WHICI-I IS ENIGINEERED TO ENABLE THE TOWN TO EXPAND
THE CENTRAL STATION! IIJ THE FUTURE. THE COST OF THIS AREA IS
ABOUT $3150, 000.
MR- PRICE PRESENTED THE ARCUEMEHTS AGAINST A S BAY STATUON,
LJFIIC14 WOULD CLOSE THE WEST SIDE FIRE STATION. THE NEED FOR A
STATIOI•I ON THE "OTHER SIDE OF THE TRACK:" SO AS TO HAVE A
FEASONABI._E RESPONSE TIME EVEN IF THE R. R. TRACES WERE
EI_1-11'K.ED IJITH A TRAIN. THE COST OF THE 5 BAY IS DIFFICULT TO
.JUSTIFY. HE FRESENTED SEVERAL- ANECDOTES ABOUT PERSONS IN
TF'OUBLE WHO WERE HELPED BY WEST SIDE FIRE EQUIPMENT LONG
BEFORE THE AMBULANCE AF.RIVED FROM THE CENTRAL STATION.
SEVERAL ANECDOTES: WERE. THEN RELATED BY RESIDENTS OF THE
OTHER EIDE OF TOWN INDICATING THAT WHEN THE RMEULANCE IS AT
THE WEST SIDE STATION RIE.SPONSE TIME CAN BE AS MUCH AS i
MINUTE'S.
THE FINANCE COMMITTEE ASKED FOR: COMPARATIVE COSTS OF RUNNING
R S BAY STATION AND MAINTAINING THE WEST SIDE STATION /
OPPOSED TO OPERATING A 5 BRIT' STATION ONLY ALONG WITH
BENEFITS OF SELLING OF: REUSING THE WEST SIDE STATION.
FINCOM ASKED TO SEE HOW A SINGLE STATION COULD ENABLE
MANPOWER. TO BE USED MORE EFFICIENTLY. WE WANTED TO SEE
STAFFING FLANS (O'VERTIME SAVINGS IF ANY, BETTER MANAGMENT
PROCEDURES) ETC.
FINCCII1 ALSO ASKED FOR. SEVERAL SMALLER ITEMS : EG A REVIEW OF
THE OVERALL TOWN SAFETY WITH ONE AND TWO STATION OPTIONS
COMPARED ETC.
THE FINANCE COMMITTEE DECIDED TO PUT OFF A RECOMMENDATION ON
THIS ARTICLE UNTIL WE COULD BE PROVIDED WITH THE ADOITIONRL
INFORMATION. THIS IS AN IMPORTAFIT DECISION AND FINCOM WILL
NOT VOTE UNTIL WE HAVE ALL THE FACTS AVAILABLE AND WILL THEN!
CONCFNTR•.ATE ON THE FINANCIAL DETt--ill-S IF IT CAN BE SHOWN THAT
THE TOWNS SAFETY IS BEING MAINTAINED.
AF:TICI-E 4 WAS THEN! PRESENTED BY THE TOWN MANAGER. THIS IS
FOR: UPGRADING THE WATER TREATMENT FACILITY AND THE DETAILS
HAVE BEEN COVERED E :TENSIVELY IN THE MINUTES OF FINCOM
OCTOBER 13, 1538 MEETING. THE SELECTMEN HAVE 'VOTED 4-0-0 IN
FAVOR OF THIS RRTLCL.E. THE TOTAL. REGIUESTED IS %1 , 200, 000.
FINt-ACE -i t9MITTElS 'VOTED TCI FIECOMMEND AR'.TICLF- 4 IN THE AMOUNT
OF 2�1 , aO0, 000. TO EE FUNDED WITH :T630, 000 FROM THE WATER
:=AJF:F'LI Ir ANO ZSSGJ, :JUO FROM BOF•R•OWIHG EY A VOTE OF S-f-0
FUTURE MEETINGS HAVE BEEN SET IJO'V AND NOV 7 . 1•?S5.
CYT CLERK:
O H ALLEN
(,e: CHAIRMAN)