HomeMy WebLinkAbout1 28 10 first meeting background 1
January 28, 2010 Background Information Public Safety Bond Committee
Purpose of Committee The purpose of this committee is to determine:
• Whether there is a valid need for the identified public safety facility
improvements
• Whether the City should seek voter approval of a General Election Bond (or a series of bonds) to fund the various improvements
• Which public safety facility improvements should be on the levy
• What amount should be on the levy
• And if it is determined a GO Bond should be placed on the ballot, which election date is recommended.
• Provide to the Council the committee rational on making a final decision/recommendation to the Council The Committee will be asked to make a recommendation to the City Council no later than June 2010.
Fire Station #2 The replacement of Fire Station 2 is the top priority of the City of Ashland’s Facilities’
Master Plan. The existing building is over 40 years old and has exceeded its useful life due to its condition and quality of construction. The current structure is built of non-reinforced hollow concrete block, which is already showing signs of cracks and overall
deterioration. The structure is vulnerable to a significant seismic event. Current building codes, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, as well as National Fire Protection Association, require fire stations and other critical infrastructure to be built to higher standards.
In the current facility there is insufficient space for all apparatus and a number are stored outside. There are currently no facilities to disinfect medical equipment or clean personal protective equipment. There are no gender-specific restrooms or lock facilities. The living and sleeping areas are susceptible to contamination from diesel exhaust as well as an absence of floor drains causing water intrusion during rain.
There are no accommodations for report writing, public reception, or training. A lack of insulation causes excessive utility costs.
COA050012
2
The most recent design for a replacement fire station, and one that has completed the permitting process, addresses all of these issues on the same property footprint. The new
design is estimated to cost $3.5 million, down from the $5.4 million of the original
design. Expand Police Station
Adding square footage to the existing police station is also a top priority in the City’s
Facilities Master Plan. The Plan proposes adding approximately 2700 square feet and extensive remodeling to a portion of the existing station. The estimated cost is $1.1 million.
The existing lobby is adjacent to the general work area. Computer monitors with
sensitive information are visible to the public area. The public must travel past these monitors for interviews or fingerprinting services. Currently work station for the Detectives, Sergeants, Volunteers and report writing are
squeezed into small offices due to lack of space. Often five or six people occupy areas
designated for two work stations. Storage for evidence has already reached the maximum capacity and evidence is required to be retained indefinitely. Currently storage containers located in the parking lot are
housing sensitive materials.
The existing briefing room cannot accommodate the 30+ people who often gather as a group and it does not provide room for required training. It is difficult to schedule and costly to use other spaces within the community on a regular basis. Often a space is
needed for training that should be able to accommodate 30 to 50 people. The existing station is inadequate to retain and process persons in temporary custody. Aerial Ladder Truck
City of Ashland Fire and Rescue desires to acquire an aerial ladder truck to augment their heavy apparatus fleet. Currently, there are no aerial ladder devices in the community and the tallest fire ground ladder is 30 feet. A 30 foot ground ladder, depending on conditions, will allow access only to the window of a second floor occupancy, or the roof of a two
story building. Currently, Ashland Fire and Rescue has no ability to ladder above a second story roof. There are over 200 buildings in Ashland that Ashland Fire and Rescue cannot ladder occupied floors or the roof. An aerial ladder truck, along with carrying a large inventory of ground ladders up to 35
feet in length, has a hydraulically operated aerial ladder, typically 75 or 100 feet in length. There are five principal functions of an aerial ladder:
• Insertion of fire suppression and/or search and rescue crews into a multi-story building
COA050013
3
• Extraction of occupants from a multi-story building
• Accessing the roof of multi-story building for vertical ventilation
• Providing a large diameter fire master stream for fire suppression and/or exposure protection during structure or wild land fires
• Executing stokes-basket rescues from high or low points
Current, modern aerial ladder trucks are available in a “Quint” configuration, that along with the compliment of ground ladders, extrication and heavy rescue equipment, the apparatus has a water tank, hose, and pump which allows it to perform all functions of a conventional engine pumper as well as those of an aerial device. This would be the option
of choice for Ashland Fire and Rescue due to staffing limitations. Training Facility
City of Ashland Fire and Rescue, along with the Ashland Police Department, don’t have
a dedicated training facility to train members and conduct department and mutual aid manipulative exercises. A dedicated well designed facility would enhance the training opportunities and allow members to train in Ashland in lieu of sending members to regional training facilities and paying overtime for such. A training facility would allow
live fire training as well as inter-department training as well as regional based training.
The addition of a training facility will have a positive impact on Ashland Fire and Rescue’s Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating. The ISO rating has a direct impact on nearly all commercial and much of the residential fire insurance premiums.
Bond Information The following is a snapshot of costs associated with a General Obligation Bond for Public Safety Facilities
Givens:
• GO borrowing will result in about 60% interest over 20 years
• Based on 2009 tax proceeds, every penny levied generates approximately $18,600
in tax revenue
Project Cost + Interest TTL Cost/$1000 AssesdValue per year for 20 years Fire Station #2 $3.5M $2.1M $5.6M .1505/$1000 AV Police Station $1.1M $660K $1.76M .0473/$1000 AV
Ladder Truck $750K $450K $1.2M .028/$1000 AV
Training Facility $600K $360K $960K .0258/$1000 AV
TOTAL $5.9M $3.57M $9.52 .2516/$1000 AV
A home assessed at $300,000 would pay $75.48 per year for 20 years.
COA050014