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Alna Facilities Planning Committee

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Date: January 17,2008

Time: 07:00 - 08:30

Location: Firehouse

Meeting Minutes:

Alna Facilities Planning Committee Meeting, January 17, 2008, held at the Firehouse at 7 p.m.

Present: Tom Albee (TA), Nick Caristo (NC), Gordon Davis (GD),   Fred Gumkowski (FG),   Kathy Pendleton (KP) and Cliff Russell(CR)

Absent:   John Green and Brian Lawrence

Also present:   Mike Trask and Paul Ouellette from the AVFD

 

The meeting opened with a brief report by KP on the VFD meeting held Sunday, Jan. 13th to discuss Les Fossel’(LF) proposed enlargement and renovation of the existing fire house in light of the meeting of the 11th at which the department’s concerns were taken up directly with LF.   The key piece of information was that the following motion was passed by the meeting (12 in favor, 1 against):

            “Although the VFD still prefers the concept of a new, stand-alone fire station, the concept of an addition to the current fire station, as proposed and described to the VFD officers on 1/11/2008 and to the membership on 1/13/2008, is acceptable in that it meets all the stated needs of the VFD.”

 

The FPC was given plans for the enlarged fire station as LF amended them after the Jan. 11th meeting.   More work will be required for LF to develop a revised project cost estimate reflecting the new size and configuration and the details agreed to at that meeting.

 

The second item of business was NC’s announcement that the temporary town office staff is not yet able to access the town’s web site for additions.   NC proposes to post hard copies of the minutes that cannot be posted on the web at the usual locations in Alna and to send them to the Lincoln Co. News for possible publication.

 

The committee then turned to the possibility of reducing the number of options being considered for possible presentation to the town from the current three (enlargement/renovation of existing station, new stand-alone station with town meeting room, new multi purpose building as proposed by the Bowers committee in March of ’07) to two.   After a lively discussion of what members perceive to be in the town’s best long-term interest, of the current economic situation in the state and nation, and of the town votes of March and August, the committee voted to eliminate the multi purpose building from further consideration.   The committee recognized that that this decision commits it to making sure the town is adequately informed of the costs involved in correcting deficiencies identified in the current Town Office.   To that end, the existing proposal (with costs) for meeting handicapped accessibility standards, and the less well developed one for a 500 sq, ft, addition will be made part of the committee’s ultimate report.

 

Several matters of detail were attended to in the remaining meeting time:

·         The committee voted unanimously to purchase the 2008 edition of the R.S. Means light commercial construction costing guide for $130.

·         NC proposed, and the committee agreed, that the committee should seek a meeting with John Hansen, the architect who prepared the stand-alone fire station proposal voted on at the August special town meeting.   The committee feels it must understand the reasons for the large difference between the cost estimate for that project and its own estimate for the stand-alone firehouse with town meeting room.

·         The committee decided that the first of at least two public information meetings will not be held until a revised cost estimate is available for the enlargement/renovation project.   The expectation is that this will be true in early February.

·         NC has begun the process of consulting with the Maine Municipal Association on structuring a bidding process for the enlargement/renovation project so that action can be taken quickly if that is proposed to and accepted by the March Town Meeting.

·         The next committee meeting will be held on the 21st of Jan. at 7 p.m.   in the firehouse.   On the agenda will be the development of a final checklist of items that must be taken care of if we are to be ready to present a Warrant Article to the March Town Meeting.

Note: Les Fossel needs the RSMEANS 2008 Manual and has agreed to purchase this item. There is no cost to the Town of Alna.

 

Cliff Russell