Councilman Wants Funds For New Hook & Ladder Facility

By John Voket

When it comes to making a decision on a new public safety facility, Third District Republican Councilman David Brown wants to light a fire under town officials and representatives of the volunteer Newtown Hook & Ladder Company. Wednesday evening, during the Legislative Council Finance Committee’s routine review of the municipal Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), Mr Brown proposed postponing the purchase of a pumper truck for Hook & Ladder for two years, and creating a $3.3 million “placeholder” in the CIP for engineering and construction of a new firehouse.

Mr Brown said he had concerns that the existing Hook & Ladder building behind Edmond Town Hall might not have the sustained structural integrity to accommodate any new or additional vehicles.

“As I understand it, there are concerns about the long-term use of the building,” he said following the meeting. “The facility has served the town well, but it has outlived its usefulness.”

Mr Brown said he was equally concerned for the safety of volunteers and persons traveling on Main Street, given the increasing volume of traffic and the station’s location, and that he was afraid the town might lose the opportunity to receive a donated parcel of land stipulated for a new fire station.

That parcel of land on Sugar Street, adjacent to the rear of Town Hall South, is currently owned by the Smith Family Partnership, headed by R. Scudder Smith, owner and publisher of The Newtown Bee.

Following a significant amount of discussion on the matter, the Finance Committee voted three to one to recommend the CIP to the full council for a vote, with the stipulation that Mr Brown’s idea would be presented for discussion prior to that vote. The single vote against that recommendation by the Finance Committee was cast by Mr Brown.

Mr Brown said he understood that the Sugar Street parcel presented some environmental concerns. The Bee has reported in related stories that the property includes wetlands and falls partially across headwaters to the brook that runs through the adjacent Ram Pasture.

But Mr Brown believes the deteriorated condition of the Hook & Ladder headquarters, and his other concerns for the safety and well-being of the firefighters, warrants a “strategic” variance to wetlands zoning that would allow for the construction of a fire station on that parcel.

“There comes a point when the greater good, our community’s public safety, takes precedence over the environment,” he said. “Our Hook & Ladder [volunteers] deserve a lot better than what they’ve got. We need to get them out from behind town hall, and we’ve got a benefactor who is ready to donate land.”

Mr Brown told fellow Finance Committee members that he favored putting off the pumper purchase until council members got solid information on the integrity of the Hook & Ladder facility. According to Mr Brown, the fire station is a town-owned structure, managed by the Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers with the stipulation that the Hook & Ladder Company can conduct its business within the building.

His proposal was threefold:

Postpone the fire truck purchase, currently budgeted in 2005-2006 CIP to 2008-2009.

Put a $300,000 placeholder in the 2006-2007 CIP for engineering on a new fire headquarters.

Put a $3 million placeholder in the 2007-2008 CIP for construction for that station.

Other Finance Committee members including Chairman Joseph DiCandido questioned the motion, saying that he had not heard of any requests for a new fire station from other town leaders, the management of the Hook & Ladder Company, or the Fire Commission.

“No one’s asked for a new firehouse,” Mr DiCandido said.

But Mr Brown said he felt the council should step in at this point in time, even if it accomplishes nothing more than bringing the issue into the public eye.

“There comes a time when, if you don’t take charge of a situation, someone has to step in and take charge for you,” Mr Brown told the committee.

Finance Board Chairman John Kortze, who was on hand to clarify issues related to an unrelated item in the CIP, lobbied for the CIP to be forwarded to the full council as is, saying a placeholder or a fully-funded fire station could be added in subsequent capital plans.

“I would be reluctant to put $3.3 million into the plan without talking to Herb about it,” Mr Kortze said, referring to First Selectman Herb Rosenthal. “The space needs for Hook & Ladder aren’t easy to get your arms around.”

Quickly doing the math, Mr Kortze told the committee that a $3.3 million placeholder, if financed at today’s rates, could cost as much as $450,000 in interest if included in a 20-year bond initiative.

Mr DiCandido said his concern about adjusting the timeline on the pumper purchase involved the imminent need for the vehicle.

“If the truck is needed, do you really want to hold the fire truck hostage?” he asked. “It’s a public safety question.”

“But if we buy a new truck and the building is going to collapse under it, then we have a problem,” Mr Brown replied. “It’s not my intention to hold the fire truck hostage. It’s my way of getting this issue out on the table.”

Contacted at his office Thursday morning, Mr Rosenthal was unhappy about the concept.

“Oh I’m completely against it,” he said. “I’m not in favor of pushing that [fire truck purchase] off. I’ll take that fight to the full council.”