Repairs on firehouses to be $380,000

Brian McCready , Assistant Milford Bureau Chief

08/06/2004

MILFORD — The city needs to spend $380,000 to reinforce the floor at fire headquarters and install a new roof at the station on Wheeler’s Farms Road, Mayor James L. Richetelli Jr. revealed Thursday.

Richetelli and Fire Chief Louis LaVecchia said the city received a report from an engineer this week that says repairing the cracks at headquarters on New Haven Avenue will cost $300,000.

Also, rain pours in at Station 7 and the roof must be replaced at a cost of $80,000.

Richetelli said he’s uncertain where the money will come from, but he will ask the Board of Aldermen to approve the expense.

"We’ll do whatever it takes; we’re going to do it," Richetelli said.

He stressed there are no safety issues involving the floor and said the department’s service has not been disrupted.

"It’s not good news, that’s for sure," said Alderman Jerold Wanosky, R-1.

The city already allocated $38,000 to study and design structural repairs for the cracked floor.

LaVecchia said the floor work should take two months.

"The building is still sound," LaVecchia said. "It’s a very valuable building to us."

He said roof repairs would take about two weeks. The original roof has been patched repeatedly and it’s time for a new one, he said.

The floor cracks were found about 15 months ago; the discovery forced the department to move the 42,000-pound Engine 1 into a newer bay.

The department then had to relocate its tower truck and two firefighters to Station 7 on Wheeler’s Farms Road.

Fire and city officials repeatedly said the disruption has not affected services or the department’s response time.

LaVecchia said consultants concluded the floor needs structural repairs because of increasing weight of the apparatus.

Brian McCready can be reached at 876-6800 or bmccready@nhregister.com.

"Everybody knows we have a super Fire Department. The Board of Aldermen has been very supportive of their needs, but I wish we didn’t need to come up with $380,000. It’s bad it’s happened, but we have to support it. We have no choice."