Killington Fire Department Wants New Firehouse

Vermont Standard, 5/21/15
By Curt Peterson

Standard Correspondent

KILLINGTON — The Killington Fire Department Facility Committee has concluded that the organization badly needs a newer, larger firehouse, and soon.

Committee chairman Steve Finneron presented a detailed report to the select board and about a dozen residents who attended the May 19 meeting. The committee is made up of two fire department members and three non-fire department residents.

“Our first step was to evaluate the present facility on River Road,” Finneron said. “Fire Chief Gary Roth took the entire committee for an inspection tour. The building will just about house one fire truck, and isn’t even big enough to hold meetings.”

According to Finneron, the committee obtained three estimates for renovating the structure to satisfy current and future needs of the department.

“They all came up with figures that were pretty close,” he said. “The building is so out-of-date they estimated it would cost $2.5 million just to bring it up to building and fire codes.”

Besides shortcomings of the firehouse itself, there is a parking problem. When firemen gather at the site to leave for a fire, many of them have to park their vehicles on a neighbor’s private property.

“The present owner is very nice about giving them permission, but he may not own the property forever, and the next owner might not be as accommodating. Then we’d be in trouble,” Finneron said.

“We quickly realized that trying to renovate the existing site would not be at all cost-effective,” Finneron continued. “So we started looking at all available and seemingly appropriate land parcels within two miles of the current firehouse.” He explained that the distance from concentrations of residential property in town and the firehouse, affects the fire insurance rating for the homeowners.

Board Chairwoman Patty McGrath concurred.

“It affects the rates for commercial buildings as well,” she said, “and a change in insurance costs can be a hardship for residents as well as businesses.”

Finneron said the committee winnowed two dozen parcels down to a half-dozen that “would work,” and they are ready to make their report and recommendations regarding each of these possibilities, but would like to do so in executive session.

“If the location of the particular site or sites we’ve chosen becomes public information, the price will certainly go up immediately,” committee member Andy Salamon said from the audience.

Once a site is determined and purchased, design of the new facility will be the next issue.

“After Memorial Day the committee is visiting some newer projects built by fire departments in towns with similar needs. We should have a rough idea for a new facility that we can present to the Board in June,” Finneron said.

McGrath admonished the committee to think far ahead – “Thirty years out, as well as you can.”

Finneron pointed out that the parcels they favor all have enough land for significant expansion as future development presents the demand.

“Another challenge will be to convince the taxpayers to approve the final project,” said Finneron. “We hope to have an open house at the current facility so the townspeople can come and see what we’re up against, ask questions, and talk to the committee and the fire department about ideas for the new firehouse.”

At the end of the meeting the select board and the committee went into executive session to discuss the specific sites that are being considered.

The town’s Green Mountain International Golf Course is always a lightning rod for controversy. Town Manager Seth Webb reported that revenue at the club during April was approximately $18 thousand, while expenses that month were $235 thousand. Vito Rasenas and Patty McGrath asked for some clarification of the figures as Webb had reported them, and suggested changes in future reports format, to which he agreed.

Webb explained that the club opened in the beginning of May.

“Many of the members renew and pay for their memberships after the course opens,” he said. “This is why there was less April revenue this year than last.”

We also purchased stock and products for the kitchen and a large order of pesticides in April, which explains the higher expenses than last year,” he added.

There were questions about Green Mountain’s annual borrowing from the town’s general fund, money that is used to get the course and clubhouse ready for play on opening day.

“The club always pays this money back during the season,” Webb said. “We’ve been doing it this way for twenty years. I would like to suggest that we make it more transparent so the public is aware that it works, and to formalize the borrowing arrangement so it is in the public record.”

Rasenas suggested that Green Mountain should pay interest on the money it borrows from the town, which, after discussion, seemed to be a futile exercise that would cause more effort and paperwork than it was worth.

“In fact,” selectman Chris Bianchi said, “some people have suggested we just include the golf course operations in the general fund rather than have separate accounts at all.”

This caused a murmur of disbelief in the crowd, and Rasenas asked Bianchi to name the people who said such a thing.

“I’m not going to name anyone, but I’ve been on this board for quite a few years,” he said, “and I can tell you it’s come up several times during my tenure.”

On a brighter note, golfers said the course was in very good condition for how early in the season it is.

“I lived in Danbury, Connecticut for forty years,” Andy Salamon said. “The courses down there are in such terrible shape this year the golfers are going all over the place to find better conditions. I think you should market memberships down there!”

 Comment: I'd be happy to calculate the interest on the town's loan to the golf course. If the powers that be think that its more effort than its worth we should be reducing salaries. By my calculation, the amount of interest that would be due the town for the loan of $325,000 for five months at today's prime rate of 3.25% would be $4735.98. That took less than five minutes. I'll gladly calculate the interest for half that and save the town $2,369.72. 
The five month period and the $325,000 amount are taken from the 2015 projected golf course cash flow statement which can be found on the town's website.
Vito