Captial Improvement Committee

Meeting date: 
Tuesday, August 13, 2019

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
 SITE VISIT APPROVED MEETING MINUTES
August 13th, 2019

 

Location: Antrim Central Station Fire House

Present Bob Edwards (ex officio), Bob Holmes (Chair), and Neal Pattison (Vice Chair)

Staff Present: Donna Hanson (Town Administrator), Chief Marshall Gale (Antrim Fire Department), Ashley Brudnick-Destromp (Assistant), and Carol Ogilvie (Planning Consultant)

Absent: Victor Rosansky and Steve MacDonald

CTO:  Chair Holmes called the meeting to order at 9:07 AM

The CIP Committee met at the Antrim Central Fire Station for a site visit with Chief Gale to go over the needs of the department.

Chief Gale’s Overview of the Department:
Chief Gale said that the building was constructed at some point in the early 80’s (1979), and has not received any significant renovations other than a new roof 2x, and a new heating system.  The current roof was supposed to have 30 year shingles, but they are already experiencing issues with the shingles curling and coming up. It has only been on roughly 15 years, so this should not be an issue. There are currently no leaks, but this will be a major project at some point.

Chief Gale expressed the other items that needed fixing. The metal entry doors are rusted, and the framing is coming undone. The windows are the older crank ones with single pane, and both the windows and doors are causing heat loss. The floors are older linoleum glued down, and are coming up, and in some areas it is a tripping hazard. The ceilings need to be re done, and it was noted how dark the ceilings were compared to the newer heating system.

Chief Gale then went into discussion of the main item on his CIP request, an Airvac system for Central station that would consist of 3 units in the bay area. He added that the insurance company has been asking him to obtain this for a long time, and he can no longer put it off. Chief Gale and the committee began a discussion on firefighter’s safety, the harms of diesel fuels and after fire chemicals in the air and on their clothing. Chief Gale explained the system would cost $20,000 for turnkey installation, and that the company is local out of Dover NH. He added both Hancock and Dublin have the same system, and neither have any complaints. The cost of the system is ½ to 1/3 of the cost for a full system, and is low maintenance where it only requires the changing of the filter a couple times a year, and that they are no expensive and do not require a professional to change out. Chief Gale went over how the system works on a timer when doors open, and continue working on a timer after the doors are closed.

Chair Holmes asked if North Branch would also need the system installed. Chief Gale explained eventually, but there is much more traffic at Central Station with having both Fire and Ambulance, and that there are over 500 runs a year out of Central Station.

Chair Holmes asked what the plan was for North Branch in the next 10 years. Chief Gale said eventually sleeping quarters, showers, and more room would be needed. When the building was constructed, the thought of Antrim being a part of ALS was probably not thought of, but now that they are, they need more room for storage of ambulance equipment.

There was a long discussion on contaminated Fire gear, fire gear replacement, and the policies that are currently in place to help reduce contamination.

There was a discussion on the tree on the West side of North Branch that needs to be removed, how Robblee Tree Service has offered to remove it for free, and once removed, how a new roof will be needed.

Water contamination and run off was discussed regarding the washing machine for contaminated clothes, the leach field, and the wet lands directly behind the Fire station.

Ms. Hanson asked how often North Branch is used. Chief Gale explained that there is a tanker housed there that is used for every call. He also showed the committee photos of the flooring, sheetrock, and insulation that need to be replaced. The committee would like to schedule another site visit at that location on another day.

Mr. Edwards expressed how he is concerned that buildings won’t last 10 years, and that by investing money in patch work that will not move forward if a building is re-done is an unnecessary expense. The committee and Chief Gale agreed with this.

Chief Gale mentioned other Fire Stations he had visited, and the things they are doing to reduce health risks in the department.

Mr. Pattison asked that if the building is expanded in 2 years, will the AirVac system still cover it. Chief Gale responded that he believes so.

Ms. Hanson asked if the Chief planned on having full time staff, and if that is why he was looking at sleeping quarters in the future. The Chief explained that sometimes there are per diem 12 hours shifts currently after major accidents where they wish they had sleeping quarters now.

Chief Gale mentioned the EMT status, and how they are trying to encourage more locals to move forward with at least obtaining an EMR, and how they are working on increasing that staff by trying to offer more local training.

There was a discussion on how there are currently no showers, and how the one spot where there could have been a shower was used to put the washing machine instead for the burnout gear. In hindsight, the washing machine should have been in the bay area, and not in the break room.

There was further discussion of the fire gear, and how the department is monitored by the NFPA, and how they are improving on Health & Safety.

CIP numbers from 2018:
Ms. Ogilvie went over the numbers submitted for last years CIP. Chief Gale said they wanted to increase the capital reserve to reflect a total of $75,000 being put in. He said that they would push the new fire truck out to 2022 in order to accommodate the AirVac system, and that he can invest some money into the truck to make it last the extra year.

Ms. Ogilvie asked if the $185,000 fund balance was designated for anything specific. Chief Gale said no, but that $60,000 would be coming out in March of 2020 for the final installment of the air pack system.

There was a small conversation about the capital reserve account and what is considered government buildings.

9:50am Site Walk of the Facility
At 9:50 am the group left the conference room and did a tour with Chief Gale who showed them the issues with the flooring, windows, doors, space for ambulance storage, and ceilings.
 

Adjourned:  Mr. Edwards made a motion to end the meeting at 10:05 AM, Mr. Pattison second it.

Vote: By a voice vote, all were in favor.

Next Meeting: There is no meeting scheduled at this time.  

Respectfully submitted,
Ashley Brudnick-Destromp
(Assistant to the Land Use Boards)