By Matt Breslow
Staff Writer
December 8, 2004
NORWALK -- The fire department needs $4 million in renovations at its headquarters and maintenance garage, as well as a new station in northern Norwalk that would cost $6.5 million, according to a consultant.
The Matrix Consulting Group yesterday presented fire and city officials with a final draft of recommendations based on the firm's $50,000 study, which began last summer, of the fire department and its long-term needs.
The City Hall presentation included a timeline for millions of dollars in facilities upgrades and equipment replacement over the next 10 years.
Richard Brady, president of California-based Matrix, said consultants "immersed" themselves in the department and called the assessment "as comprehensive a fire department study as you're going to get."
Mayor Alex Knopp said that after officials submit additional comments, the final version of the Matrix report will be presented early next year to the Common Council, Board of Estimate and Taxation and members of the fire department.
Fire Chief Sanford Anderson said after yesterday's presentation that he agrees with the plan, assuming the city funds the recommendations. Anderson said he supports the suggested timeline, which calls for an estimated $2.5 million update and renovation to Charles A. Volk Central Fire Station in 2008 and 2009.
"That is really one of the worst headquarters facilities I've ever seen," said Brady, adding that the building lacks sufficient space.
Peter Brown, vice president of the firefighters union, said Volk is "falling apart" and asked whether the city could fund some renovations ahead of schedule to address major problems department members face daily.
Mayoral assistant Edmund Schmidt said some improvements can be made in earlier fiscal years in case of emergency.
The first major expense included in the recommended timeline is the purchase of an $800,000 fire truck next fiscal year to replace a vehicle that is about 20 years old. The report calls for replacing three more vehicles from 2008 to 2010 and another pair in 2013 and 2014.
However, the most significant expenditures involve improving the department's buildings and constructing a sixth fire station, which should be near the Merritt 7 Corporate Park, according to the report. Gilbane Construction, which oversees all city construction projects, performed the facilities assessments.
The city should spend $1.5 million in 2006 and 2007 to update and renovate the former Norwalk Transit District bus barn on Fairfield Avenue, the report states. The facility, located directly across Interstate 95 from Volk, serves as the fire department's maintenance garage.
Volk needs more administrative space, Schmidt said. The report suggests moving some of the department's support functions, such as training and the fire marshal's office, to the bus barn.
Funding for a sixth fire station would not start until 2011.
Schmidt said even though the city's spending ability for non-education capital improvements is limited over the next several years because of a large-scale schools renovation project, the timeline presented yesterday calls for greatly increased capital spending for the fire department. The fire department would receive consistent capital investment from year to year, Schmidt said.
The plan must be "fine-tuned" but represents the start of a capital-spending road map based on logic and standards instead of the city's financial health in a given year, the mayoral assistant said. He said the timeline's figures are estimated and will have to be adjusted for inflation.
Other recommendations presented yesterday included improving data collection for activities such as training, installing the fire department as primary first responders to medical emergencies instead of police and centralizing training programs.
Copyright © 2004, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.