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Middletown fire chief asks council for bond, federal grants to address aging Cross Street house and staffing strains
Summary
Chief Albert told the commission he has applied for federal earmarks and an Urban Act grant ($150,000) and requested council support for a Cross Street bond; he stressed interior renovations and training building funding while flagging staffing and apparatus repair needs. No council votes occurred at the meeting.
Fire Chief Albert asked commissioners April 27 for support as he seeks capital funding and grants to address aging facilities, training needs and equipment repairs.
Albert said he submitted a request related to the Newfield Street fire station and that a representative from Senator Blumenthal’s office had discussed federal earmark opportunities with department leadership. He also said he applied for $150,000 in Urban Act grant funding to help cover repairs and training building costs.
The chief told the commission he had sent a letter of support about a Cross Street bond that will appear before the Finance & Government committee on Wednesday and asked for backing from at least two council members. "I only need 2 council members to vote yes on this," he said, adding that the interior renovation is his top priority and optional items such as a storage building could be deferred if funds are limited.
Albert outlined capital and procurement issues: Engine 1 has been out of service for weeks and requires new leaf springs, he has shifted appropriations to cover some apparatus repairs, and he created a job description for a mechanic that is scheduled to go to GCC at the end of May. He said a purchase order for the training building work should be signed soon and that construction will take about a year once ordered.
On funding structure, Albert said the bond would be charged to the fire department fund, not the city general fund, and stated the department currently carries no debt. He discussed possible 20‑year borrowing for long‑lived infrastructure but did not finalize terms or total project costs during the meeting; he said estimates for four phases were "around 700 and change" and that some figures discussed in the meeting were unclear.
Albert also summarized telecom staffing: roughly 19 dispatchers with two vacancies on hold and interviews underway for a deputy director, and he reported recent incident volumes for dispatch. Commissioners did not vote on the bond or grant approvals at the April 27 meeting; Albert said he would provide a packet and Matterport views of the station for members to review before the Finance & Government hearing.
The meeting approved routine minutes and adjourned; no formal capital funding decisions were made by the commission at this session.
