Fire Station Upgrades Discussed at North Haven Annual Town Meeting

Major rebuilding of the town’s fire stations was the key issue at last night’s town meeting held at the high school and attended by a few hundred North Haven residents.

After First Selectman Michael Freda announced a $14 million capital improvement project, funded by town bonds, and which will be put up for referendum in December, plans for building and renovating the town’s four fire stations were presented.

Fire chief Vin Landisio spoke first, stating that the stations “no longer have the capacity to provide for our expectations. The fifty to seventy year old stations have outlived their capabilities and can’t house modern fire apparatus.”

A detailed presentation from Jim Buck, a member of the commission that reviewed the condition of the fire stations, followed. Buck spoke about a variety of fire station problems, from no sleeping facilities to leaky roofs to narrow spaces that make it difficult for fire fighters to enter trucks. He said there are OSHA violations and showed pictures and videos of the stations on the large screen behind him.

Brian Stone, a member of the Kenneth Boroson architectural firm that is working on the project, detailed the work that will be done on all four stations. A second story and two garage bays will be added to the fire headquarters on Broadway. A new firehouse will be built at the Montowese station with two stories and three garage bays, similar to headquarters. Renovations to West Ridge and Northeast will include garage bays, higher roofs and a new lobby.

The total cost for fire department renovations will be approximately $9 million, which is a bargain according to Landisio, far less than some town are paying for fire house construction.

During public comments many residents applauded the needed repairs, but two said they should be funded differently, possibly by payments from Quinnipiac University, which they said paid for a new fire station in Hamden. Landisio said QU did not pay for the Hamden station, but did contribute for repairs.

Also during public comments, Pat Nuzzolillo, chairman of the North Haven Fire Commission, spoke about the contributions of North Haven firefighters on September 11, when twenty volunteers went to New York to assist with rescue efforts at the World Trade Center.

“They were there to help us  then and they’re asking for you to help them now,” he said.

Earlier in the meeting, votes were taken to pass three resolutions: to transfer $628,469.28 from the 2010-11 budget; to accept Pierpont Court as a North Haven road; and to pass the North Haven blight ordinance.

Another resolution to pass the North Haven Open Burning Ordinance was tabled because brush fires were prohibited by the original document, even though they will be allowed going forward, Landisio said. The ordinance will be rewritten and voted on at another meeting.

Freda said public hearings will be held over the next eight to ten weeks to provide public forums for the $14 million capital improvement project. There will be open houses at the fire stations.

In December, a referendum with three separate questions devoted to components of the capital improvement project will be held. Residents will vote on the fire repairs, the construction of a new public works storage facility at 110 Elm St. and a road repair package earmarked for repaving 25 miles of town roadway.

“I endorse the project to move the town forward,” Freda said.

Alluding to the project’s three to four year construction period and its role in stabilizing town debt for the next seventeen years, he said, “We need to stay on top of things in the short and long term.”