The Prudential reviewed the fiscal 2016 budget and discussed the cracks appearing in the walls of the fire station.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass — The Fire District on Wednesday decided to see what can be done to shore up the building it would like nothing more than to vacate.

 

"Let's be realistic," said John Notsley, the chairman of the Prudential Committee, which oversees the fire district. "We're going to be at 34 Water St. for some time, and we can't afford to let the station fall apart."

 

The Prudential Committee spent much of the last couple of years planning for a new location for the Williamstown Fire Department. Citing age and space issues, the Prudential Committee twice called a special district meeting to win voters' approval to purchase a Main Street parcel to build a new station.

 

Twice, the acquisition was favored by the majority of voters but failed to receive the two-thirds super majority needed for passage.

 

On Wednesday, as the Prudential Committee reviewed the fiscal 2016 budget, it discussed an expenditure to look at cracks in the front wall of the Water Street fire house.

 

"That one on the righthand side by the [bay] door seems to be getting larger and longer," Chief Craig Pedercini advised the committee.

 

Notsley recommended that the committee seek an estimate for an engineer to look at the building and make recommendations. He noted that now is the time to get a warrant article together for the annual Fire District meeting in late May.

 

The conversation at Wednesday's meeting quickly spun into a discussion of other issues at the Water Street site.

 

"I think the whole front end of the building is where our serious problems lie right now," Notsley said.

 

"I think what we need to do is find out why," committee member Ed McGowan said. "Something is going wrong out there ... we're getting a dip [in the ground] by the doors. We've got a heck of a hole out past Bay 3. That ground is going somewhere, and when that ground goes somewhere so that you can see it, things are moving."

 

The fire station sits on a land next to a bank that drops down to the Green River.

 

Most of Wednesday's meeting was spent reviewing Pedercini's recommended budget, which the committee will hone on April 1 with an eye toward posting the warrant articles later in the month.

 

The committee will have an engineer look at the expanding crack by the righthand door of the station.

Among the items he suggested is a small utility truck that could be used to store and transport equipment when a fire truck is out of service and to transport volunteer firefighters to classes out of town, an upgraded rescue tool and a high-pressure air bag used to lift vehicles in an extraction.

 

"I think all the items are of a priority nature, but the bottom line is we're going to have to prioritize, I have a feeling," said Notsley, who participated in the meeting via speaker phone. "For example, if we find out we're in deep trouble on the building itself, it's going to take a chunk of dough. We're going to have to pick and choose."

 

"That's understandable," Pedercini replied. "I just wanted you guys to see this on paper. Whether we do it this year or not, it will still be there next year."

 

Another expenditure on the radar: the potential hiring of a part-time office manager to assist both Pedercini and Corydon Thurston, the district's Clerk/Treasurer.

 

Thurston said that the district's current system is not the most efficient.

 

A part-time clerk would allow for, "a separation of duties, so you wouldn't have the same person inputting the invoices and signing the checks," Thurston said.

 

Pedercini noted that the district could look into applying for a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant from the Federal Emergency Management agency to help pay for such a position.