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Fire chief warns of failing hydrants and aging HVAC; board asks for cost estimates
Summary
The town's fire chief told the Board of Selectmen that 15 hydrants have problems (four out of service), recent repairs have cost nearly $15,000, and multiple rooftop HVAC units and boilers are failing. The board asked staff to get firm estimates and report back before July meetings.
The fire chief told the Board of Selectmen that town fire infrastructure and building systems are showing accelerated deterioration and that the department will likely need near-term spending to avoid safety and operational problems.
"We have 15 hydrants that have issues, the most we've ever had. Four of them were out of service," the fire chief said, noting one recent repair cost "almost just uh almost $15,000." He also said the town owns the hydrants and pays for access to water; figures cited in the meeting ranged from roughly $115,000 to $123,000 a year for hydrant access.
The chief gave a separate update on HVAC and building systems at the firehouse. He reported the rooftop unit that serves the locker rooms (RTU3) has a broken condenser; a condenser-only replacement was estimated at $9,350 while a full replacement of the RTU was preliminarily estimated at about $25,000. The makeup-air unit that feeds the apparatus bay was described as the most serious concern and was later estimated in the discussion to cost "north of $80,000." A smaller repair (RTU4 pulley) was estimated at roughly $800.
Board members pressed the chief on options for short-term mitigation, including temporary portable air conditioners and dehumidifiers, and whether repairing the condenser now would simply postpone inevitable larger costs. "We're at that critical point where it's going to cost more money to fix," the chief said, arguing a targeted condenser repair could buy time while a fuller replacement plan is developed.
The board agreed to ask staff to obtain firm contractor estimates and to explore temporary cooling solutions. The chief requested a decision within about a week if the board wants to order a condenser to meet lead-time constraints; the issue will be revisited at the board's July meeting and the Board of Selectmen will be notified for possible action at their July session.
The board also discussed hydrant repairs and ownership: the chief said hydrants are town-owned and the town pays repair and access costs unless a third party (for example, an identifiable motorist who damages a hydrant) is responsible. The chief warned multiple hydrant failures and the potential for large repairs will become a material budget issue if more units fail unexpectedly.
Next steps: staff will collect written cost estimates for condenser replacement, full RTU replacement, makeup-air unit replacement and temporary rentals; the Board of Finance and the Board of Selectmen will be briefed to determine funding and procurement timing.
