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Seabrook council hears urgent calls to repair fire station interior, approves temporary generator measures
Summary
Council discussion identified mold, leaks and nonfunctional doors at the Seabrook Fire Station at 1850 E. Meyer; staff said long‑lead federal grant will replace the main generator and that repairs tied to the EMS expansion will return to council with alternate bids.
Seabrook City Council on Tuesday discussed persistent maintenance problems at the Seabrook Fire Station, 1850 East Meyer, including leaks, mold and nonfunctioning doors, and directed staff to bring repair bids and alternate funding back to a future meeting.
A resident who toured the station presented photos and described ceiling cobwebs, a rusted overhead door frame that will not close, roof leaks and “black mold” in the kitchen and bunk areas. The resident said the conditions made him cough while viewing the building and urged immediate action: “There’s black mold...I actually started coughing so much I had to walk out,” he said.
City staff and councilmembers responded that several of the identified items are being reviewed as part of the planned EMS station expansion and related alternate bids. A member of city staff told the council the station’s existing fixed generator is dead, but a replacement generator has been ordered using a Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) award: “This will be completely replaced with a federal grant,” staff said, and added the ordered unit has a long lead time.
Nut graf: The council did not approve an immediate comprehensive repair package but confirmed some repairs will be packaged with the EMS expansion project and will return to the council when bids and amounts are finalized. Staff also said the city arranged for a portable generator to cover the upcoming hurricane season until the federal‑funded unit arrives.
Council members and speakers emphasized routine maintenance and small repairs that could be done without bond proceeds — pressure washing, painting, patching drywall and removing heavy cobweb buildup — while the larger mechanical and structural fixes await bid results tied to the EMS project. One councilmember noted volunteer firefighters sometimes pay for cleaning supplies and urged the council to address small operational expenses quickly so volunteers are not buying routine supplies out of pocket.
City staff described the repair workflow: certain items (roof, HVAC, mold remediation, generator replacement) are part of planned alternate bid packages for the EMS expansion and will require council approval when bids return; other items (painting, localized repairs, cleaning) can be addressed sooner through routine maintenance funds. Staff cautioned that the federal grant replacement generator has a multi‑month lead time, and the portable generator solution is intended as temporary coverage.
Ending: Council did not take a formal vote on repair funding during the discussion. Staff will return to a future meeting with bid results and recommended funding sources for the larger repairs, while smaller maintenance tasks will be scheduled sooner as resources allow.
