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Public works staff say in‑house work saved about $9,455 on decommissioning of senior-center sprinkler heads
Summary
Village staff presented a nonaction report on decommissioning the senior center sprinkler system, saying staff completed removal of visible sprinkler heads in-house rather than accepting a $16,590 contractor quote and estimated roughly $9,455 in savings.
Village public works staff told the Germantown Public Works & Highways Committee on April 1 that the department decommissioned the senior center’s fire-suppression system last December to avoid freeze or flood damage and later removed visible sprinkler heads as required by the decommissioning protocol.
Staff said an outside proposal from US Fire Protection to remove visible sprinkler heads was $16,590. Because the 2026 budget did not include funds for that work, staff piloted the work in‑house, tracked materials and disposal costs and estimated the public-works team’s total direct costs at $11,002.68 with additional internal labor estimated separately. In staff calculations, the in‑house approach produced a savings of about $9,455 — roughly a 57% reduction compared with the contractor quote — though staff noted labor was an internal cost and discussed how to present those figures.
Committee members praised the initiative and asked that similar project-cost comparisons be provided in advance. One member suggested the public-savings number may be larger when excluding labor already paid as part of regular staffing, and a separate member suggested documenting the cost-estimate process to ensure future comparisons are consistent.
Because this was a nonaction item, no formal vote was required. Staff said more details and a director’s report will be provided at a future meeting if the committee wants further documentation.
