A Penny Wise And A Million Plus Foolish?
by Chuck Ring
Soon after the current town administration took office, after some of the blood and gore from dismissals was cleared away, another step was taken that made little sense at the time and even less with clear reflection. I refer to the movement of the town road equipment from a leased location to our wastewater treatment plant (WTP).
Ostensibly (at least, according to our mayor and our then town administrator) the purpose for the move was to save money paid for the use of the property leased from former Mayor Howard Calkins. Some have speculated that the action was just one more step toward undoing many things the previous administration had accomplished, with one of the dismissals being the first step in the “undoing” process. Whatever the real reason, it now becomes crystal clear that the move was a dangerous move that could end up costing the town all that it has worked for with the wastewater treatment plant.
The road department stores flammable liquids in the form of vehicle fuel storage tank or tanks, cleaning solvents and other volatile products. Such storage of flammable products at a road department yard is not unusual, however the WTP is not a road department yard and it does not contain a fire abatement mechanism adequate to quench a large fire. There is not a sufficient water storage tank nor water line from a source sufficent for combatting a fire should one self-ignite or be set by some person or persons who might gain entry to the WTP. In short, it does not appear that the town’s own facility, or in this case facilities, meet fireflow requirements that the town might place on privately owned buildings or construction yards.
One has to wonder whether the WTP or other town property located at the WTP is properly insured given the possibility, however remote, a fire might occur. With no fireflow existing at the WTP and the relatively far distance to a fire station (over two miles) and the remoteness from other buildings and persons, the building could be a complete loss prior to the arrival of fire equipment.
There are other issues at the WTP that might bear scrutiny. Such as, why is there not signage that identifies the property as Edgewood property and that sets out the penalties for trespass or vandalism? Has there been a threat assessment for potential damage whether from ordinary vandals or individuals bent on some form of terrorism? Some might say that such steps do not need to be taken until the WTP is in operation, but since the facility will not be operational by November of this year (as initially indicated by the curent mayor) and completion has now been projected at around mid-2009, then it would seem that two events should occur. First, the road department storage yard should be planned for Section 16 along with the library and other facilities. And second, fireflow should be brought to standards so that the town meets its own fire code and some sort of visible and/or audible alarm should be installed to notify of breakins and other unauthorized activity.
We haven’t even mentioned possible warranty issues stemming from use of the WTP for purposes which it was not intended or due to the valves and other moving parts setting unused for long periods. For that matter, when does the warranty start?
Don’t let this be a case of save a little … suffer a lot.
One Response “A Penny Wise And A Million Plus Foolish?”
It seems that the town’s leaders continue to be haunted by their failure to act expeditiously on Section 16?
In his article, Mr Ring was very gracious in that he didn’t really discuss in detail the the potential hazards, short and long-term, of having possible “contaminants” in close proximity to the water treatment facility.
Wake up Edgewood!