By Ann DeMatteo, New Haven Register, Conn.
Nov. 2--HAMDEN -- Repairs to the Circular Avenue fire station roof will start in a few weeks.
The Legislative Council has approved a bid waiver to allow the town to hire Russo Roofing to fix the roof.
Town officials said the repairs are needed while awaiting decisions on the construction of a replacement building. The council recently allowed the town to seek proposals from companies that would want to design and lease back a new fire headquarters to the town.
Russo Roofing, located on Morse Street, said it can do the work for $36,000.
Asked why the town was going to do the repairs when it would be spending money on a new station, Mayor Craig B. Henrici said that the town is spending as little as it can on the repair, but firefighters and equipment need to stay dry. The town took two estimates from roofers and chose Russo Roofing, which has worked with the Public Works Department in the past, including fixing the former Michael J. Whalen Junior High School roof after the July 10, 1989, tornado.
Fire Chief David Berardesca said it will take at least 1 1/2 years before a new fire station is built and the roof needs to be replaced now. Rain commonly leaks in the kitchen of Station 2.
"There's a big stain on the dropped ceiling and the back roof leaks all the time. A new roof will keep the rodents and squirrels out," Berardesca said.
Public works has patched the roof in the past, but a more extensive job is needed before the winter. "With the snow load, you don't know the strength of the roof," the chief said.
Among the repairs will be to replace the bottom edge of the wood decking, install aluminum drip edges and ice and water shields.
At a recent council meeting, Councilman Craig Cesare, R-at large, approved the request but said he has an issue with the way the town maintains its buildings and asked why the town doesn't deal with maintenance problems when they occur. He also questioned why the work had to be done now when the building may be replaced in a year or two.
Councilman James Leddy, D-9, a former fire chief, said that the town "doesn't have a good record of maintaining its buildings, no matter what party. I don't think that much has ever been done with Station 2. At this time, to make suitable living quarters, we should take action."
Councilman Jack Kennelly, D-at large, agreed with Cesare on the maintenance issue, and said he had some questions about the cost of the project but agreed that "something has to be done right away."
-----
To see more of New Haven Register, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.nhregister.com.
Copyright (c) 2009, New Haven Register, Conn.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
A service of YellowBrix, Inc.
