Council Encourages

NH&L Firehouse Project

By John Voket

It only took the Newtown Legislative Council about two minutes to approve the latest Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) after nearly 15 minutes of discussion on an 11th hour appeal by Councilman David Brown to insert $3.3 million in placeholders into the plan for a new Hook and Ladder headquarters.

The annual CIP serves as a multi-million-dollar, ten-year roadmap to help guide town leaders and municipal financial planning on major town projects. That proposal was all but finalized until the Legislative Finance Committee reviewed the plan for recommendation last week.

That is when Mr Brown told fellow councilmen that he favored putting off the purchase of a new pumper truck in the CIP for the Newtown Hook and Ladder Company until he was satisfied the firehouse had the structural integrity to support the truck.

Mr Brown further requested that a $300,000 placeholder be considered for the design and engineering of a new Hook and Ladder facility, and a subsequent $3 million placeholder to construct the facility on a donated parcel located near the intersection of Main Street South and Sugar Street.

During the full council meeting Wednesday, Finance Committee Chairman Joseph DeCandido urged fellow council members to be careful about approving any additional items in the CIP.

“We know that Moody’s [Investment Service] looked closely at that CIP when they reviewed our latest request for a bond rating upgrade,” he said. “I would be concerned that any additions to the CIP at this time might negatively impact our bond rating.”

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal, who is an ex-officio on the council, seemed perturbed over the suggestion. Mr Rosenthal said he was loathe to even initiate discussions on a new fire station with fellow selectmen until a formal request to do so came through his office from either leadership of the Hook and Ladder company, the Board of Fire Commissioners, or both.

“The request for this kind of item for the CIP should come initially from the department, and be requested through the Board of Selectmen,” Mr Rosenthal said. “Then it would be passed on to the Board of Finance for a recommendation to the council.”

Mr Rosenthal added that he thought adding an item of this nature to the CIP at this late juncture was beyond the scope of the council. He also clarified that a single $10 million placeholder that was in the CIP for a high school construction project was justified considering that project could potentially cost much more.

The first selectman previously had estimated that a new firehouse project for Hook and Ladder would cost no more than $1.5 million. He told the council Wednesday that instituting a $3.3 million placeholder would encourage the delivery of bids for the project to meet the placeholder amount.

“If we were to fix the Hook and Ladder building, I understand the improvements are in the range of $800,000,” Mr Rosenthal said. “So it’s good logic to estimate that any new building Hook and Ladder would build would be no more than $800,000 to $1 million.”

Hook and Ladder Chief David Ober and several other fire department personnel attended the meeting. Given Mr Brown’s concerns about the existing building, Council Chairman William Rodgers asked the firefighters for clarification on the headquarters’ structural integrity.

Chief Ober said that although he was not a structural engineer, he felt safe in advising the council that any new apparatus would be delivered within the range of the engine going out of service, and that it would be safe to house the new pumper in the existing facility.

Chief Ober admitted, however, that the prospect of a new fire station near the intersection of Route 302 would provide numerous safety advantages for both volunteers and those traveling on Main Street, where the firehouse is currently located.

“Where we are is more of a hazard to pedestrians and vehicular traffic,” he said. “We would prefer to get out from behind town hall. We’re looking at the safety of volunteers getting to the station as well as getting apparatus out.”

Chief Ober said a parcel offered to the department adjacent to Town Hall South was an ideal location for a new fire station. That parcel is currently owned by the Smith Family Partnership, headed by R. Scudder Smith, owner and publisher of The Newtown Bee.

“The Smith parcel is an excellent location, easily accessed from the front and rear, and is as close to the center of the district as possible without building it on the Ram Pasture,” Chief Ober said.

He told the council that the Board of Fire Commissioners had left the decision to relocate Hook and Ladder up to the company’s leadership, and that company officers were unable to formulate any decisions until they received an engineering report on the existing structure.

He said Hook and Ladder officers did not have any figures to propose for the CIP until they reviewed the engineering report, which was sent just a few weeks ago. The chief then agreed to begin discussions with the first selectman on the proposal, which Mr Rodgers seemed happy to hear.

“I just want to see you pick up the pace on this,” Mr Rodgers said.

Hook and Ladder Building Committee Chairman Michael McCarthy then told the council that the offered parcel was being reviewed by an engineer so officers could configure a plot plan for the proposed new building’s footprint.

Mr Brown reminded the council that the existing firehouse had served the community well for more than 50 years, but it was time for the fire company to seek new quarters.

“The building has outlived its usefulness,” said Mr Brown.