APFC Input to Alna Annual Report

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Date: March 01,2008

Time: 07:00 - 09:00

Location: Fire house

Meeting Minutes:

Alna Facilities Planning Committee

The AFPC was formed in May 2007 as a follow-up to the previous Fred Bowers’ committee to assess the overall town administrative and firehouse building needs. The objects were to assess each town building and make recommendations for upgrades that were in the best interest of the town citizens for the future over the next twenty five years.

The committee has met twice a month and since last fall has met on a weekly basis. We have had each building inspected by a license home inspector, visited other towns to review their experience, been in communication with the Maine Municipal Association and reviewed code requirements for each building.

The committee started with several building options and has narrowed the selection down to two options. One major challenge was for the committee needs implied by code requirements from features that would be “nice to have”. Only Code issues were used for our final decision. Early after the summer 2007 Town meeting we invited three additional nonvoting fire department officers to assist APFC in identifying the real needs. Our final recommendations were objectively based on code needs, impact on the town tax burden and what was in the best interest for the Alna citizens.

We the committee recommend the following. We recommend and endorse the construction of an independent fire house with an attached meeting room and combined fire training area at a cost of $766,000. This building would be located on the land behind the present Alna Town hall. In the event that this is not favorable with the town vote in March 2008 we present an alternative selection, to construct an addition and make renovations to the current fire house at a cost of $466,000. 

I am very pleased with the AFPC work ethic and the objective manner in which the committee has interfaced with the fire department, town staff, inspectors and state of Maine to reach our recommendations that is in the best interest of the town. The AFPC wishes to express its appreciation to Les Fossel for offering a quotation for a fire house addition at a very generous discount.

Each option will meet the building needs of the town for the next twenty five years. Ideally the independent fire house, that the AFPC recommends and endorses, is the best fit to meet the town needs. It has two distinct advantages over the renovation, one it would have lower maintenance cost and two it would allow for future expansion if the need arises twenty five plus years from now. The option to build an addition onto the fire house would provide citizens with an alternative choice at a lower cost, however this is not the committees’ choice based on long term operational cost and future needs in twenty five years.

I ask the town citizens to take into consideration our recommendations and provide a positive vote for action that will serve the town needs and interest over the next twenty five years. Now is an opportune time to build or expand with lower interest rates and the building trades in need of work that can result in lower construction cost and minimize the tax impact of Alna citizens.

Thank you, Nick Caristo Co Chair AFPC, John Green Co Chair and committee members: Thomas Albee, Gordon Davis, Fred Gumkowski, Brian Lawrence, Kathy Pendleton, and Cliff Russell, Fire Department Officers: Michael Trask, Roger Whitney, and Paul Ouelette.