New firehouse plan reviewed by board of finance

By Peter Marteka

A $15 million proposal to build a new East Haddam Fire Company 2 building was reviewed during a public hearing before the board of finance Aug. 3.

No decision was made on the proposal with the board of finance expected to vote on sending the proposal to the board of selectmen to schedule a public hearing and town meeting next month. Craig Mansfield, chairman of the East Haddam Company #2 Firehouse Building Committee and David Stein, an architect with Silver Petrucelli + Associates presented the plan to the board

The plan is to demolish the current firehouse on William F. Palmer Road and replace it with a 14,500-square-foot facility bringing it up to 21st century firefighting standards. The proposed facility would include five drive-through apparatus bays, capacity for approximately 8–10 pieces of equipment, bunk rooms and bedrooms for full-time staff, a commercial kitchen, a training room, gear storage, decontamination rooms with holding tanks and laundry facilities.

“This property has been used for the past 35-plus years as a firehouse. It has worked perfectly,” Mansfield said. “If we pull this firehouse out of Moodus, people’s insurance rates are going to skyrocket...It will have a dramatic effect on people’s home insurance if we move out of Moodus.”

Mansfield said much of the sitework has been completed, including test wells, hazardous assessment and the health department signing off on plans for the kitchen. Some board members were concerned about how the $15 million would impact the town’s bonding schedule.

“The funding of this frankly concerns me,” board member Scott W. Jezek said. “We have not completed our own audit that was due Dec. 31. I don’t know how that affects our ability to borrow. I’m sure it’s not a positive. I don’t see how we’re in the present circumstances in a position to afford this project at any number let alone $15 million.”

Mansfield noted that was not the charge of the committee.

“It was to come up with building a firehouse and come up with the cost,” he said.

Finance board chairwoman Maureen K. Goff said the board’s goal is to keep debt payments level noting the project has been accounted for in the capital project savings plan.

“It definitely has been taken into consideration, and we’ll see if we can get them into September with these new numbers to lay it out on the line for us,” she said.

Other board members were concerned about the location.

“No firehouse is really ideally located in a town this size and should probably have a lot more firehouses. The reality is that we can’t afford it,” said finance board member Eric L. Kolasinski.

Board member Debra H. Denette was concerned about the price tag after all the town departments were asked to submit zero increase spending plans during the recent budget process.

“There was no growth in the grand list and now we’re bringing forward a $15 million project in the same fiscal year when we didn’t entertain requests from anybody and it just troubles me,” she said.

Mansfield said there’s been a placeholder in the long-term capital planning for a new firehouse for several years.

“Did we know $15-$16 million? No, but it’s not like we didn’t want to surprise anyone and that was not our intention, clearly,” he said.

Denette said the town really needs to have a clear plan for the future with a possible new library and declining elementary school enrollments.

“There’s so many kingdoms,” she said. “The fire department is doing their own thing. The library is doing their own thing. There’s no comprehensive plan that says this is what the town’s needs are for the next five, 10, 25 years.

“We know we’re going to need this and that and what’s a comprehensive way to put it all,” she added, “and it’s really disappointing that the town as a whole hasn’t put that together and it’s nothing against you guys.”

First Selectman Todd H. Gelston said everyone can agree that “public safety is paramount importance in a community.”

“It’s important to the residents. It’s important to any commercial enterprises we have in town and want to attract to town,” he said. “And this firehouse is all about the future...I want to make sure that this facility will have the capacity to answer our needs in the future as the town grows. We need to be sure that our apparatus and our ambulances and our training rooms are all adequate for the future growth of the town.”