Waterford ― The Representative Town Meeting took the first step Monday night in addressing the deteriorated Oswegatchie fire station.

After more than an hour of discussion, the RTM unanimously approved to create a building committee to oversee the design and construction of a new fire station, in accordance with the town charter. The building committee will include two members of the RTM, one member of the Board of Selectmen, one member of the Board of Finance, two elected citizens and three elected fire services personnel.

The recommendation came from the Ad Hoc Fire Services Review Special Committee, which was created in July 2021 to “review issues including performance, policy and staffing and present their findings/recommendations of any changes needed to enhance public safety,” according to the committee’s report.

The Ad Hoc committee voted to recommend the formation of a building committee at its Jan. 17 meeting due to the “extensively deterioration of the current building,” and forwarded its recommendation to the RTM for approval.

“Rarely does this body agree on anything, but I think this is one of the few times I can say there’s no one sitting around this table that doesn’t think there needs to be a new fire house in Oswegatchie,” Fourth-District Representative Susan Driscoll said, after hearing opening remarks from Robert Tuneski, chair of the Ad Hoc committee.

The RTM disbanded the previous Oswegatchie Firehouse Building Committee in 2019. The building, owned by the fire company, has seen multiple repairs, including new beams and walls to hold up the ceiling and roof when they were in danger of collapsing in 2010.

It has not gotten better.

Resident Wayne Gilpin, a resident of nearly 45 years and a member of the fire services for nearly 44 years, addressed representatives during public comment. He explained the conditions of the building, including “temporary” supports, water stains and mold on the ceilings. He said there’s a refrigerator in the common room instead of the kitchen because of a support beam blocking the way, and there’s a beam blocking the sink in the women’s bathroom as well. He added there’s no lock on the front door.

Gilpin said these conditions have only gotten worse over the last 14 years and explained that the location at at 441 Boston Post Road is in good proximity to Oswegatchie School, Oswegatchie Point and Millstone Point neighborhoods, and multiple access points to Interstate 95.

“Would I apply to be a volunteer firefighter in this town? Would I let my child?” Gilpin said, in reference to the building. “Not a chance.”

Director of Fire Services Michael Howley later substantiated Gilpin’s claims and added that tarps are repeatedly put on the roof to stop leaks, the boiler system is failing and parts of the building are condemned. He said the station is manned seven days a week in these poor conditions.

He added that at one point, when the town contractor was called to repair the roof, that the repairmen were afraid to get on the roof. So, Howley brought in the ladder truck for them to use.

“This town should be embarrassed,” Howley said of the state of the building and lack of action. “I hate to be so blunt.”

“It is atrocious,” he added.

In 2017, the town approved spending almost $200,000 for design work on a new facility that would be owned by the town and leased to the fire company. But, at the time, several officials said too many unknowns remain about overall needs and staffing concerns across the town's five volunteer fire companies. The Ad Hoc committee was created to address these issues, and at its Dec. 13 meeting, decided that all five fire companies are needed in town.

“As we sit here and kick the can down the road, the Oswegatchie fire building is not fixing itself and we need to move forward,” Moderator Paul Goldstein said.

The fire companies, which own their facilities but use town equipment and vehicles, are led by volunteer chiefs and staffed largely by volunteer firefighters, though supplemented by paid full- and part-time firefighters employed by the town.

“Part of that deal has always been maintaining the fire houses that are the property of the fire companies,” Driscoll said. “It’s not an excuse, it’s just a fact, we’ve done an abysmal job there.”

Some of the discussion from representatives included Cheryl Larder and Tim Condon, each from the First District.

Larder, a member of the municipal complex building committee in 2015, said she would have liked to have more specific information for the building ― such as the number of bays and apparatus ― so the RTM could provide the newly-formed committee with a charge, or more specific course of action, for the project.

Condon would have liked to see similar information, as well as a clear understanding that all five departments were part of the plan moving forward to allow representatives vote in confidence that they were not taking away resources from their own districts.

Both representatives were supportive of the building committee at the time of their questions.

Other representatives were concerned about the wording of the motion and wanted to ensure the department can make repairs to the current building as the multi-year new building construction plays out.

Tuneski explained that the Ad Hoc committee has a draft of a report that is being revised and was discussed at its previous meeting. He said the intention of coming to the RTM now was to “get certain things moving in parallel since this has been an on-going concern for 14 years.”

Tuneski said the report includes the specifics for the new building, the decision for needing five departments and the history behind that decision. He said the report will be ready for the RTM’s next meeting in April.

Goldstein confirmed that First Selectman Rob Brule, who was not in attendance Monday, is well aware of the situation and is in full support of creating the new building committee and repairing the current building as needed. Brule is a member of the Ad Hoc committee.

“We need to get this project going,” Howley said.

k.arnold@theday.com