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Kensington safety committee assigns town administrator to oversee town-hall repairs, drainage and ice-dam fixes
Summary
The Town of Kensington Joint Loss Management Committee on June 15 identified multiple building- and site-safety hazards — including entry mats blocking elevator doors, parking-lot drainage causing ice, broken heat tape and fire-safety gaps — and directed the town administrator to coordinate repairs and report back at the next meeting.
The Town of Kensington Joint Loss Management Committee on June 15 documented a string of safety and maintenance problems at town buildings and assigned the town administrator to coordinate repairs and report back at the next meeting.
Town Administrator Kathleen T. Felch said she will obtain pricing for new entry mats after members noted the current mats are tall enough to interfere with the elevator maintenance door and the elevator entry door. "Kathy will work on pricing out mat options for entry and PD areas," Felch said. The committee also instructed staff to consider adding an outdoor boot brush for snow and dirt removal before people enter the building.
Matt Armstrong, road manager, told the committee he is researching costs to fix drainage and to repave the entire parking lot after members raised slip-and-fall hazards from flash-freezing of roof runoff last winter. "The road manager is researching costs for drainage and repaving of entire parking lot," the minutes record.
The committee discussed broken heat tape that led to ice-damming; additional heat tape had been installed last season near the building inspector's office and Felch said she would arrange further installation where needed. Gino Rignoli, building inspector, agreed to locate and test all ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlets in town buildings and "report back to the group at the next meeting."
Committee members enumerated several main-hall and whole-building safety items: exterior doors with rot and hinge gaps; at least one interior door that cannot be opened in an emergency; overheating server rooms in town hall and the police department; unsafe use of extension cords; a need for a building-closure checklist for groups using the main hall; replacement of a damaged storm-panel window; evacuation-route postings and a designated meet area in the parking lot across the street; creation of an incident log for building and department issues; fire-extinguisher signage and replacement of burned-out lights; stair tread treatments to reduce slip risk; storing flammable materials in fireproof cabinets; installing magnetic fire-door releases tied to the fire alarm; adding heat tape under solar panels and snow guards; replacing an emergency-light battery in the police storage room; and removing boxes from the electric panel room.
The committee cited Chap Lab 603.03 on action plans; the minutes record that "the Town Administrator will take care of the majority of the items and report back to the committee at the next meeting." Departments will receive copies of the minutes and are to address issues in their assigned areas. The meeting minutes note limited prior minutes and an intention to restart on-site building reviews to document issues contemporaneously.
Kathleen T. Felch moved to adjourn at 6:28 p.m.; the motion was seconded by Sara Hamilton and approved with all in favor. The town administrator is expected to follow up with cost estimates and scheduling details at the committee's next meeting.
