Date: Fri 12-Jun-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

Hook-&-Ladder-firehouse

Full Text:

Hook & Ladder Firehouse Ruled Structurally Unsafe For Trucks

(with cut)

BY STEVE BIGHAM

Late last week, town officials discovered a structural problem in the floor of

the Hook & Ladder Fire Company. They promptly ordered that all trucks be taken

off the floor.

Now, more than a million dollars in firefighting equipment sits parked outside

the fire station located behind Edmond Town Hall. The trucks are expected to

remain outside their bays until the floor and walls can be "shored up."

Late this week, First Selectman Herb Rosenthal said the town was still waiting

for an unnamed contractor to begin installing steel beams underneath the

flooring as a temporary measure.

During the time the trucks are outside, the area will have around-the-clock

security, a cost to be borne by taxpayers. Newtown police have been posting a

patrolman at the site for two shifts per day, while Public Works employee

Milton Adams covers the area for the remaining eight hours.

The problem was discovered June 4 when Public Works Director Fred Hurley and

the school system's Maintenance and Grounds Supervisor Dominic Posca were at

the station to prepare the specifications for a roof replacement. The town

officials noticed significant shifting in the interior and exterior walls on

the southwest corner of the building.

"We looked at the building and saw a brick and a block that showed horizontal

movement. That's not good," said Mr Hurley. "We went downstairs and found the

dock planking [a type of floor support system] was separated. There was

gapping."

Mr Rosenthal received a phone call from Mr Hurley first thing Friday morning

and promptly sent Building Official Tom Paternoster to inspect. Mr Paternoster

immediately called structural engineer Richard Marnicki of Southbury, who

concurred, immediately ordering the trucks be taken out of their bays. Three

trucks are parked on an upper level floor with two others parked in a second

bay, underneath.

"If the floor ever gave way it would be a catastrophic failure," explained Mr

Adams, who is also a member of the fire company.

For part of the day on Monday, the town was actually paying two people to

watch the trucks. Mr Rosenthal said it was simply an overlap between shifts.

The police, providing security for 16 hours per day, are receiving time and a

half for their overtime work.

The first selectman said the town will pay for the steel work and security by

transferring money out of its contingency fund. A final cost has not yet been

determined.

Before the steel can be put in place, the town has to do some work, including

the moving of some electrical conduits, Mr Hurley said.

A long-range solution to the problem at Hook & Ladder must still be worked

out, according to Mr Rosenthal. There is the possibility that the fire company

would eventually be forced to move out of the building. The town recently

hired an architect to study the town's municipal space needs and a new home

for Hook & Ladder is one of the options. The engineering study is expected to

be completed by late fall.