Sweden Fire Station Building Committee Meeting

September 25, 2007

DRAFT

 

MINUTES of the Sweden Fire Station Building Committee (SFSBC) regular meeting on

            Tuesday, September, at the Sweden Town Office .

Present: Members: Chairman Wolfgang Duve,  Julie McQueen, John P. Smith, Wayne Miller

Public& Guests:  None

Absent:, Bill Morrisseau,  PatrickWood

Rob Slattery has resigned from the committee effective September 5, 2007

These notes are not necessarily in the order in which things were discussed. They are loosely organized by topic.

Assignments from the July 24, 2007 meeting:

•        The Committee will get together at the Bridgton Fire Station at a date to be determined (not a regular meeting) to drive some fire trucks similar to what the Fire Dept. anticipates owning in the future. The purpose of using the Bridgton fire trucks is to avoid an impossible situation in the future for getting the trucks into the station. They cannot be backed into the station from the road and will require adequate space for reversing direction. A simple analysis of how much turning area will be necessary will be done. This will be important to be sure that the trucks can get into the station without hitting the Town Office in the tight area available.

- This has not been arranged as of the September 25, 2007 meeting.

Assignments from the July 10, 2007 meeting:

·        Ted Harris to make an inquiry with Maine DOT regarding the acquisition/storage of excess fill.

- We have not received an update on this item as of the September 25, 2007 meeting.

Assignments from the June 12, 2007 meeting:

•        Ron will get some information regarding foam insulation for reference.

-        Ron is still pursuing the information.

Notes:

·        Wolfgang Duve called the meeting to order at 9AM.

·        Wolfgang announced that Rob Slattery has resigned from the committee.

·        Wolfgang briefly reviewed the committee’s meeting with the Selectmen on Tues. September 11, 2007 for Wayne Miller who was unable to attend.

·        The committee discussed the general impressions they got from their meeting with the Selectmen and determined that it is best to keep the building all under one roof in order to keep the costs down. The committee came up with the original configuration for the building (a 50 ft.  X 70 ft. garage with an addition to one side) due to the drop off at the back of the property. The addition was originally intended primarily to hold the meeting room and provide access from the Town Office parking lot to that room. The intention was also to be able to use the meeting room as multi-purpose (could also be used for elections, planning board meetings, etc.).

·        If we make the meeting room smaller and drop the idea of using it for other activities, we can likely fit all into a 50 ft. X 80 ft. space. This will require some compromise on some of the original “wish list” but can probably be made to work.

·        The Fire Association is willing to pay to finish the kitchen. Per Wayne, an Ansul (fire suppression system) is only required if there is a gas stove or a fryolator. This is not what John Smith understood in his conversation with Richard McCarthy at the State Fire Marshall’s office.

·        On September 12th Wolfgang and John drove stakes next to the Town Office and used survey ribbon in order to stake out an area approximately the size of the proposed station. Their work confirmed that there is approximately 130 ft. of useable area from the front corner of the Town office building towards the back of the property before the property drops off. The first 60 ft. will be required as space to turn around a truck and get it into the station. If the station was 80 ft. long it will require that that the back 10 ft will be built either on fill or a deeper foundation, but it can be done.

·        There was discussion regarding the Mutual Aid agreement for Fire Protection and Related Emergency Services in which Sweden participates with 12 other Towns. There is a copy of this agreement in the committee’s files. The agreement is determined by the Cumberland/Oxford Chief’s Association and is passed by a majority vote of each municipality’s municipal officers (our Selectmen vote on it). The agreement continues on a year-to-year basis automatically and was most recently signed by our former First Selectman on August 31, 2006.

·        There was also some discussion regarding who provides the guidelines for fire departments and fire stations. The NFPA (National Fire Protection Agency) is a nationally recognized association of Fire chiefs, trades people etc. whose standards are used in enforcing fire regulations for public buildings.

·        The Bureau of Labor Standards has primacy over local fire protection to insure workplace safety. The Fire Chief in any town in Maine must satisfy the standards set by this entity (they use NFPA standards as their basis) for protecting Association members.

·        The State Fire Marshall is connected with the Bureau of Labor Standards and also uses NFPA standards as their guideline. The Fire Marshall is primarily responsible for enforcing fire regulations in any public building.

·        The Insurance Services Office (ISO) is another nationally recognized group, which consists of a collective group of insurance companies whose regional office is in Boston. They determine the levels of fire protection coverage offered in any particular area. More details about these levels and what is required by a town to achieve each level, can be seen at their website ISOmitigation.com . After our Fire Station is completed, the Selectmen or Fire Chief will contact the ISO who will do a survey and a field test to determine our fire protection coverage level based essentially on how the Fire Dept. performs and what equipment is available. This rating affects fire insurance rates offered by homeowners’ insurance companies.

·        The “Study of the Sweden, Maine Volunteer Fire Department” done in December of 2004 by Neil D. Courtney- Technical Service Specialist from Maine Fire Training & Education  at Southern Maine Community College discusses the need for the Sweden Volunteer Fire Department to be able to provide more water than it is currently able to provide. When the station is completed, the Fire Chief anticipates receipt of an additional pumper and a tanker which has been gifted to the Department. This will give us the basic water supply of 3,000 gal. recommended by ISO and NFPA for an interior fire attack.

 

Follow up from the Fire Station Committee Building Meeting with the Selectmen on September 11, 2007

1. The committee reviewed the steps to be taken:

1.     Complete the plan and specifications. Doing as much of this as we can ourselves will be the most cost effective since any work done by a draftsman or an architect will have to be paid for at an hourly rate. It is important to be clear about what we want before approaching a professional.

2.     Hire a draftsman. Roger Legoff, Jr. was on the Denmark Fire Station Committee and is also a qualified draftsman. He drew up the Denmark plans which were approved by the Fire Marshall. An architect is not required for this phase. In order to get the plan approved it requires working closely with the draftsman.

·        If the Town puts the project out for public bid, someone will have to do the drawings and specifications. At the direction of the Committee, Julie called Roger Legoff, Jr. (who did the plans for the Denmark fire Station) and left a message explaining that we would like to get some idea as to what the actual costs would be for this portion of the work. She spoke with Betty in his office on Wednesday Sept. 26th. They are extremely busy with other work right now, so Roger will be unable to attend our next meeting. The committee will draft up the arrangement(s) that they are considering along with as much information as possible for the specifications and fax them to Roger after they have had a chance to review them as a group at the Oct. 9th meeting. Roger will be able to give the committee an estimate as to what it should cost to draw up plans and specifications to get preliminary pricing from contractors. The committee will forward this information to the Selectmen.

3.     Get the plan approved by the State Fire Marshall.

4.     Put plans and specifications out to at least 3 qualified bidders. This is a public use facility and will have to be built to code, including the Fire Marshall’s requirements. We do have information on several qualified contractors.

§       Julie contacted Morton Buildings, who designs and builds metal buildings. They regularly do Fire Stations. The building itself, insulated and finished would be approximately $35 to $40/SF. A turnkey project would cost approximately $90 to $110/SF. To have them subcontract concrete work, electrical and plumbing work they take a 20% markup. It would be most cost effective to do the subcontracting ourselves. They have a fire station on their website at www.mortonbuildings.com built in Tuckasegee Cullowhee, N.C. that looks similar to what the committee has been considering. The station shown is 48 ft wide, with a 14 ft ceiling but is only 45 ft. long. Their standard building widths are 48 ft or 54 ft but can be as long as we need. The doors are 12 ft high.

§       L.A. Drew Construction (Route 16 Intervale, NH) (603)-356-6351 is another metal building contractor option that we will investigate.

§       The committee will also contact RLR Enterprises in Conway, NH (603)-356-9212 contact Richard Rosen (this is an old #).

§       Glenn Builders who is currently constructing the new Magic Lantern in Bridgton is another option.

5.     Have a public hearing to review the proposed plan or plans. It is important to make it clear to the public that once this hearing is conducted the resulting proposal is what the Town plans to pursue.

6.     Will have to have a special Town meeting to raise the funds.

2. Grants:

·        Julie will get the name of at least one professional grant writer

·        Julie spoke with Ken Forde on September 12th and he sent the information for the individual who successfully wrote grants for both the Salt shed and the Town Meeting House repairs as requested: John Cleveland VP, Maine Rural Development Authority (formerly Community Dynamics Corp.) 201 Maine St Auburn ME 04210 Phone #207-782-3353.  John returned Julie’s call on Thursday Sept. 20th. The only grant that he is aware of (that would require hiring a grant writer) for Fire Station funding would be the CDBG grant. In order to begin the process, the Town would have to file a letter of intention to file. The deadline for this was in August. First, we must contact the Dept. of Economic &Community Development to determine if the Town of Sweden is eligible to file the letter of intention. After further research it does not appear that there is any reason to pursue a grant writer at this time and Julie has contacted John Cleveland to let him know this. 

·       On Friday, September 21, 2007 Julie contacted Orman Whitcomb, the director of the Dept. of Economic & Community Development. HUD provides this department with particular information from the last census that they use to determine if a community is eligible for a CDBG grant. The Town of Sweden does not qualify. In order to qualify, 51% of the residents must be at or below what is considered a medium to low income level as determined by HUD. This income level is 80% of the State or County median income adjusted for family size. Only 44.3% of Sweden’s residents meet this requirement so there is no reason to send the letter of intent to file or do the required income survey. There also appears to be no reason to retain a grant writer at this time. Mr. Whitcomb suggested that the Town may qualify under the USDA Rural Development program.

·       On Friday, September 21, 2007 Julie contacted the office of USDA Rural Development. Bobbie Arnold from this office returned the call promptly on Monday morning. The Town is eligible for a Community Facilities grant program for up to 15% of the total cost of the project. The Town also qualifies for a direct loan at a low interest rate for the total project cost or for gap funding. The rates are usually 4 to 4.5% for a 30-year term for a municipality. A non-profit organization can extend the loan to a 40-year period (which does not apply in this case). The fact that the Town qualifies does not mean that they will automatically get the grant or a loan. Ms. Arnold will send Julie the basic information (which she received in the mail on Tuesday September 25th) and will be glad to attend a meeting for a question and answer session. If we want to apply, she would meet with the Committee and the Selectmen at a later date and help fill out the application. Their new fiscal year begins October 1st; so we should consider applying as soon as we get a preliminary cost estimate.

·       The USDA Rural Development office gave Julie the number and a contact for Homeland Security. On Monday, September 24th, 2007 Julie called Sherm Lahaie of Homeland Security, who was out of the office until Oct 1st. She was directed to Bob Waters who promptly returned the call. The program does not allow for Construction Projects. He suggested the US Fire Administration who has a publication having to do with grants. The biggest problem with seeking federal aid is that there is a minimum 3 year approval period.

·       Julie also contacted several other people, including The Office of Senator Bruce Bryant on September 12th. His legislative aide, Diane Stewart returned the call on Friday September 21st (she had been out of town) and was very helpful. The Senator will write a letter of recommendation for the Town when and if we move forward with pursuit of a grant or financing. She also called back and reported that after speaking to the office of the Fire Marshall in Augusta, the only 2 grants that they are aware of are the two that we have looked into (CDBG and USDA Rural Development).

·       Diane Stewart recommended that we contact FEMA, but FEMA generally only has grants available for equipment; not buildings.      

Meeting adjourned @ 10:15AM

The next Meeting will be held on Tuesday October 9, 2007 from 9:00 – 10:30 AM at the Town Office.