Engineer Details Extensive Improvements

Needed At Hook & Ladder

By John Voket

More than three dozen major improvements that could exceed $1.5 million would be required to fully renovate the existing Hook & Ladder headquarters behind Edmond Town Hall. One set of proposed renovations, prepared by Marnicki Associates, LLC, an engineering and consulting firm from Old Saybrook, were provided to The Bee this week.

A study and proposal by the engineering firm’s principle, Richard J. Marnicki, PE, discusses the sweeping scope of repairs addressing items from a leaking roof to the floor supports in the basement to the utility systems throughout the entire facility.

The study was made available this week following reports of town councilman David Brown’s unsuccessful attempts to delay the delivery of a new fire truck, pending assurances that the fire station would not collapse under the weight of the apparatus. At the most recent Legislative Council meeting, Hook & Ladder Chief David Ober stated that the new apparatus, which has already been bonded, would weigh virtually the same as the existing pumper truck housed in the building now.

Chief Ober further stated that although he is not a structural engineer, he felt the building was structurally sound enough to sustain the weight of equipment currently stored there.

Councilman Brown additionally proposed a set of budgetary placeholders totaling $3.3 million be placed in the town’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for engineering and construction of a new Hook & Ladder headquarters. Mr Brown and several members of the Hook & Ladder leadership have said they are interested in possibly relocating the station to near the intersection of Main Street South and Sugar Street, on a lot offered at no cost by the Smith Family Partnership headed by R. Scudder Smith, owner and publisher of The Newtown Bee.

While initial reports indicated the cost to develop such a building could top out at $1.5 million, a comparative analysis of two other new fire stations in the region put that cost at well over $3 million. This cost was determined after Mr Marnicki contacted a contractor who constructed new, similarly sized fire stations in the Stony Hill section of Bethel and in Stratford.

“Both of those buildings came in with a cost estimate of approximately $200 per square feet,” Mr Marnicki wrote in the report. “The Bethel price is two years old and the Stratford price is a little over one year old. Based upon inflation, the current square foot prices would be upgraded to $225 per square foot.”

Mr Marnicki acknowledged, however, that those estimates would need to be further defined based upon contract documents. Numerous items on a three-page punch list of proposed structural and utility improvements contain unspecified costs and open-ended options.

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal said Tuesday that comparing the cost of a new Hook & Ladder headquarters to the Stony Hill and Stratford stations was for illustration only. He said the two stations referenced in the report apparently include common space and commercial accommodations for banquet and catering activities.

“I don’t think Hook & Ladder wants to be a catering hall,” Mr Rosenthal said. He noted that the Sandy Hook fire station was outfitted for such catering and entertainment use, but that the fire company there is now moving away from such activities in favor of utilizing space for training and other department-related activities.

Chief Ober said Wednesday that the company was only currently concerned with outfitting the final facility with equipment to service their own food service needs.

“We’ve never seen a catering operation in our future,” Chief Ober said.

Mr Rosenthal said he thought Hook & Ladder could still achieve a well-outfitted utility building on the donated parcel for closer to $1.5 million, and that the town would financially support such a venture.

“I support the town’s contribution of an amount similar to what it would be to fix the existing facility,” he said. “I think it would be reasonable to expect the town to make that level of a contribution [toward a new facility].”

The many items on Mr Marnicki’s proposal include:

Repairs to the roof on the main building and replacement of the roofing on two additions, as well as unspecified repairs to the roof decking where applicable, if leaks have compromised the wood beneath.

Significant utility repair or complete replacement of heating, plumbing, and electrical systems, including the integration of an up-to-code fire, smoke, and carbon monoxide detector and warning system.

The total rehabilitation of existing bathroom areas and the addition of bathroom facilities.

New floors in all apparatus bays incorporating oil interceptors.

Replacement windows and new overhead doors in most of the building.

Cleaning and repainting throughout virtually the entire facility.

Replacement or repair of stairway handrails and guardrails to meet code.

Replacement of a masonry wall on the west side of the structure.

Physical and cosmetic improvements to an upstairs meeting room, a new office, and an elevator to make the facility ADA compliant.

In addition to the unspecified repairs to the roof mentioned, there are also repairs to the exterior veneer, and the need to excavate and relocate a 1,000-gallon oil tank that may drive up the overall cost beyond the $1,518,179 estimate.