03/03/2021
This is one of a series of posts over the next week in advance of the 2021 Town voting day March 9th at the Monadnock Gym from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Article 3 To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Three Million Nine Hundred Fifty Two Thousand Five Hundred Sixty Three Dollars ($3,952,563) for the purpose of preparing plans and specifications, and constructing, equipping and furnishing a new Fire Station at Town owned property located at 321 Old Homestead Highway; Two Hundred Thousand ($200,000) to be raised by general taxation, Three Hundred and Seventy Five Thousand ($375,000) from the Undesignated Fund Balance, and Three Million Three Hundred Seventy Seven Thousand Five Hundred Sixty Three Dollars ($3,377,563) of such sum to be raised through the issuance of bonds or notes under and in compliance with the Municipal Finance Act, RSA 33:1 et seq., as amended; to authorize the Selectmen to apply for, obtain and accept federal, state or other aid, if any, which may be available for said project and to comply with all laws applicable to said project; to authorize the Selectmen to issue, negotiate, sell and deliver said bonds and notes and to determine the rate of interest thereon and the maturity and other terms thereof; to authorize the Selectmen to take any other action or to pass any other vote relative thereto.
(RECOMMENDED BY SELECTMEN – 3/5 Ballot Vote Required)
: This proposal was presented to the voters in 2020 and received majority support, but did not reach the 60% threshold for bond votes. In 2021 this article was proposed by the Selectmen at a total cost of $3,575,000, which would have used lower cost materials, left the cold zone portion of the building unfinished, and other cost reductions. At the Deliberative Session the voters increased this article by $377,563 to include the full appropriation to finish the project as proposed in 2020 ($3,952,563).
With the voters strongly approving the 2019 warrant article authorizing funding to design a fire station at 321 Old Homestead Highway, the Town got to work in 2019 to develop a plan to get the firefighters and Station #2 out of the basement of Town Hall. The Town hired KCS Architects (Katie Sutherland) of Keene to prepare conceptual plans and to engage the community in the process of designing a new fire station. Throughout the summer and fall of 2019 the Town hosted eight meetings with the Swanzey Fire Department and members of the community, where the public shaped this project. These meetings focused on specific subjects such as building construction materials, utilities / infrastructure, and community engagement and also reviewed and provided feedback on drafts of the floor and site plans.
The proposed station is roughly 12,300 square feet and is made up of essentially three sections: the hot zone, the warm zone, and a cold zone. The station does not include bedrooms or living quarters because Swanzey does not currently have full time / 24 hour staffing. If that space is needed in the future, there is a dedicated area on the site for an addition.
This proposal was presented to the voters in 2020 and received majority support, but did not reach the 60% threshold for bond votes. In 2021 this article was proposed by the Selectmen at a total cost of $3,575,000, which would have used lower cost materials, left the cold zone portion of the building unfinished, and other cost reductions. At the Deliberative Session the voters increased this article by $377,563 to include the full appropriation to finish the project as proposed in 2020 ($3,952,563).
With the voters strongly approving the 2019 warrant article authorizing funding to design a fire station at 321 Old Homestead Highway, the Town got to work in 2019 to develop a plan to get the firefighters and Station #2 out of the basement of Town Hall. The Town hired KCS Architects (Katie Sutherland) of Keene to prepare conceptual plans and to engage the community in the process of designing a new fire station. Throughout the summer and fall of 2019 the Town hosted eight meetings with the Swanzey Fire Department and members of the community, where the public shaped this project. These meetings focused on specific subjects such as building construction materials, utilities / infrastructure, and community engagement and also reviewed and provided feedback on drafts of the floor and site plans.
The proposed station is roughly 12,300 square feet and is made up of essentially three sections: the hot zone, the warm zone, and a cold zone. The station does not include bedrooms or living quarters because Swanzey does not currently have full time / 24 hour staffing. If that space is needed in the future, there is a dedicated area on the site for an addition.
The hot zone shows the Town is serious about the health and safety of Swanzey’s almost fully on-call fire department. Due to the materials found in modern homes and developing science, according to New Hampshire laws if firefighters develop certain cancers and other health issues it is presumed that the medical issues are work-related. The hot zone is focused on providing Swanzey’s firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) a safe and clean station where their gear can be away from contaminants, space where they can properly clean their gear and their persons so they don’t bring contaminants home to their families, and dedicated facilities for both men and women.
The warm zone is primarily the area where the trucks, apparatus, and equipment will be stored. During this process the design team visited three local recently constructed fire stations and all of them had double deep drive through bays with doors on both ends. This is the most efficient use of space as opposed to side by side bays. The warm zone will have a diesel exhaust treatment system to capture the fumes from the trucks so they are not in the air the firefighters and members of the public in the station breathe. There is also a small work area for working on gear and equipment.
The cold zone is dedicated space separated from the contaminants in the hot zone and the warm zone and it has public and administrative areas. The public cold zone includes a training / meeting room that will be used for the training sessions the Swanzey Fire Department hosts multiple times per month. Unlike current spaces in the fire stations, this area will be large enough for the full department. The training room is separate from the rest of the station so it may be used by the Town for public meetings. The administrative cold zone also replaces the current fire department offices housed in Station #3 on Main Street in West Swanzey. The current offices are not well laid out, do not meet building codes, and are only accessible through a steep staircase. The administrative cold zone will have a conference room for meetings with business developers and residents for fire department business. There is also a report room where staff will be able to work privately on documentation with confidential medical information. In addition, the cold zone will serve as the Town’s emergency operations center, which will add grant opportunities for equipment.
If this article is approved, work will begin promptly to finalize architectural and engineering plans and construction is expected later in 2021 or early in 2022. If this article is not approved, the Town will continue to spend time and money studying this issue and/or developing different plans until the Town appropriates money at a future Town Meeting for a fire station.
The current Station #2 in the basement of the Town Hall cannot continue to be used because it is undersized, does not meet health and life safety code requirements, makes town hall employees sick, and has a number of other challenges. Modern fire trucks barely fit through the doors, under the ceiling, and between the columns in the truck bays. The firefighters’ lockers and gear are in the truck bays with the diesel exhaust from the trucks. Water leaks into the station through the building’s foundation. There is only one way in or out of the station, which is through the truck bays. The diesel fumes also go upstairs into the Town Hall where employees and members of the public are doing business. For more info, go to www.swanzeynh.gov.
Financial overview
The total budgeted cost including all construction, equipment, outfitting, engineering, and architectural work is $3.952 million, broken down as follows:
• $3.344 million – site and building construction
• $270,000 – Architectural, engineering & related expenses
• $186,000 – Firefighting focused and cancer preventative equipment
• $152,000 – Furniture, equipment, contingency, and other costs
The Town plans to aggressively pursue grants to further reduce the overall cost to the taxpayers.
Assuming a 20 year bond through the Municipal Bond Bank at a 2.5% interest rate, the full projected annual payment once the bond has been issued (assumed to be in 2022) will be approximately $215,000 ($0.34 / $1,000 on the tax rate using 2020 assessed values).
Cost per year in 2020 by assessed value: $100,000 - $34; $200,000 - $68; $300,000 - $102
Cost per day in 2020 by assessed value: $100,000 - $0.09; $200,000 - $0.18; $300,000 - $0.27
The approximate tax rate impact of this article in 2021 is $0.318 / $1,000 based on 2020 assessed values
This information is provided for informational purposes only and is not a guarantee of actual bond costs.
Assuming a 20 year bond through the Municipal Bond Bank at a 2.5% interest rate, the full projected annual payment once the bond has been issued (assumed to be in 2022) will be approximately $215,000 ($0.34 / $1,000 on the tax rate using 2020 assessed values).
Cost per year in 2020 by assessed value: $100,000 - $34; $200,000 - $68; $300,000 - $102
Cost per day in 2020 by assessed value: $100,000 - $0.09; $200,000 - $0.18; $300,000 - $0.27
The approximate tax rate impact of this article in 2021 is $0.318 / $1,000 based on 2020 assessed values
This information is provided for informational purposes only and is not a guarantee of actual bond costs.
