Cost of Minor Repairs Part of Maintenance for Fire Engine
Chillicothe — City council is reassessing the city’s buildings and facilities, and putting the study of them from 2018 to good use.
Jeff Creed, chairman of the Safety Service Committee, is also now is the chairman of a special committee that was established recently. The Facilities Committee met just before the council session Monday and heard a summary and update of the study that council president Bruce Arnold oversaw six years ago.
Creed said they are looking at the facilities for police, fire, transit, service, and the city administration building and old city hall.
He said other city buildings have a different focus:
The “Old Pepsi Building” on East Seventh Street near the railroad is in progress as a new combined city service center. Recreation and water / sewer are to be moved in soon, to free up the pool building in Yoctangee Park and the old gas works on Park Street.
The old Armory is part of the grant to renovate Yoctangee Park, and the electrician’s shed at Bridge Street outside the floodwall has been demolished, like the “tin shed” in Yoctangee Park off Mulberry Street.
One big question (or rather two) is whether Old City Hall and the Administration Building are doing their job. If they aren’t, what options are there – renovation, moving to another location? If renovate, how to maintain offices there?
The Administration Building at 35 South Paint Street is a former office building, remodeled from a department store, and has been described as having very inefficient space allocation. Old City Hall at 26 South Paint Street was rebuilt in the 1950s, is mostly unused except for council meetings, and has serious accessibility issues.
Creed said that about six subcommittees are looking at alternatives – to look ahead, make explorations. They have made no decisions yet.
Over the next few years, they also hope to make plans regarding facilities for the police – mostly sharing space in the county’s Law Enforcement Center – and the three fire stations. Creed says they want to have a 10- to 15-year plan for them.
He said city council wants to help make the city look better, and do right things with tax money using the recent study. Their next committee meeting should be just before the January 13th council session.
Hear Creed in his own words in the video interview below.
Creed also saw an ordinance passed on first reading to pay for $15,000 worth of repairs to Fire Engine Number 1. He said it was a result of a regular, five-year check-up on the truck where they found some work was needed.
He said the Sutphen fire engine is 16 to 18 years old, and is set to be replaced in one to two years.
The last new city fire engines replaced numbers 3 and 4 in 2012…which were 27 years old at the time, dating to 1985. Creed said the Fire Chief is following the city’s capital budget plan regarding vehicles.
