Rutland Herald
By Emily Cutts
Staff writer | May 26,2015
Staff writer | May 26,2015
KILLINGTON — Plans for a new firehouse are slowly advancing, and at least one committee member is ready for an uphill battle.
The Fire Department Facilities Review Committee met with the Select Board in executive session Tuesday evening to present their recommendations for a possible location for a new fire station.
The committee visited a total of 12 sites and narrowed the number down to six before presenting their recommendations to the board, said Seth Webb, town manager.
“We’re working with the town and things are moving ahead slowly, but they’re moving ahead,” said Fire Chief Gary Roth.
Webb said the Select Board is taking advice from the committee and considering their next steps. Further discussion on the issue is expected on upcoming board agendas.
“We’ve got to work through this issue and get to a resolution,” Webb said.
The committee plans to hold several open houses during the summer and fall at the current fire station to educate voters on their findings.
The committee met six times between December 2014 and April. The six-member committee was formed in November 2014 with the purpose of providing the town and board with recommendations on how to proceed with the renovation or reconstruction of the fire department facilities.
“When I was first on the committee I was skeptical, but when I saw the fire house I said, ‘Oh boy. I’m behind it,’” said Vito Rasenas, committee member. “It’s a tough row to hoe even though its an essential town service. It’s going to be an uphill battle, no illusions about what is going on here.”
The 1970s building on Killington Road fails to meet a number of fire code and safety regulations. Issues range from plumbing and electrical problems to the size of building, said Roth.
“It’s run down, dilapidated and falling apart,” said Rasenas.
In February, the committee unanimously decided that the current facility is not only inadequate but that renovations would not be cost effective. They recommended that a new building be built on an “alternative site.” In the committee’s April status report to the board, a committee member said “It would take a lot of money to renovate the old facility, and when we got through, we’d have the same problems; there isn’t enough space inside, and there isn’t enough space outside. We need a new site.”
According to the report, renovations to bring the current building up to code would cost over $2.5 million dollars, without addressing the department’s needs.
“I think that their comments and their findings were very realistic and I think there is a good understanding of how the department operates and what our needs are,” Roth said.
According to draft minutes from the committee’s May 6 meeting, five sites were visited and rated in 22 categories.
They looked at sites on the south side of Route 4 between Thundering Brook Road and Moon Ridge Road, the north side of Route 4 near the Park and Ride, and a property on Killington Road near Charity’s Restaurant.
“We have what we are recommending but don’t want to let the cat out of the bag,” Rasenas said.
The Fire Department Facilities Review Committee met with the Select Board in executive session Tuesday evening to present their recommendations for a possible location for a new fire station.
The committee visited a total of 12 sites and narrowed the number down to six before presenting their recommendations to the board, said Seth Webb, town manager.
“We’re working with the town and things are moving ahead slowly, but they’re moving ahead,” said Fire Chief Gary Roth.
Webb said the Select Board is taking advice from the committee and considering their next steps. Further discussion on the issue is expected on upcoming board agendas.
“We’ve got to work through this issue and get to a resolution,” Webb said.
The committee plans to hold several open houses during the summer and fall at the current fire station to educate voters on their findings.
The committee met six times between December 2014 and April. The six-member committee was formed in November 2014 with the purpose of providing the town and board with recommendations on how to proceed with the renovation or reconstruction of the fire department facilities.
“When I was first on the committee I was skeptical, but when I saw the fire house I said, ‘Oh boy. I’m behind it,’” said Vito Rasenas, committee member. “It’s a tough row to hoe even though its an essential town service. It’s going to be an uphill battle, no illusions about what is going on here.”
The 1970s building on Killington Road fails to meet a number of fire code and safety regulations. Issues range from plumbing and electrical problems to the size of building, said Roth.
“It’s run down, dilapidated and falling apart,” said Rasenas.
In February, the committee unanimously decided that the current facility is not only inadequate but that renovations would not be cost effective. They recommended that a new building be built on an “alternative site.” In the committee’s April status report to the board, a committee member said “It would take a lot of money to renovate the old facility, and when we got through, we’d have the same problems; there isn’t enough space inside, and there isn’t enough space outside. We need a new site.”
According to the report, renovations to bring the current building up to code would cost over $2.5 million dollars, without addressing the department’s needs.
“I think that their comments and their findings were very realistic and I think there is a good understanding of how the department operates and what our needs are,” Roth said.
According to draft minutes from the committee’s May 6 meeting, five sites were visited and rated in 22 categories.
They looked at sites on the south side of Route 4 between Thundering Brook Road and Moon Ridge Road, the north side of Route 4 near the Park and Ride, and a property on Killington Road near Charity’s Restaurant.
“We have what we are recommending but don’t want to let the cat out of the bag,” Rasenas said.
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