Adams Fire District Exploring 'Bigger Picture' for Capital Needs
ADAMS, Mass. — As the Fire District is facing ongoing capital planning needs, officials are exploring the best path forward.
The Prudential Committee met Monday to discuss several agenda items, including "district expansion," though the topic received only a brief update.
Fire Chief David Lennon told the committee that officials had held a "first informal meeting" with several people, and the result was that they needed to gather more information.
In a follow-up with iBerkshires, Lennon said the agenda item was titled "district expansion," but it is more encompassing than that.
"We're having informal discussions with people to gauge interest before we move forward with a more concrete plan," he said.
Currently, Lennon is working with "single parties from various groups" to get information on what works for other communities in similar capital situations as the Adams Fire District, Lennon said.
The district is facing several capital challenges, including a decaying fire station and apparatus repairs, he said.
"And there are other issues that, if we're going to go ahead and try to resolve one, we may be good to look at a larger picture with more things before we go down that path," Lennon said. "Before we have to take on such a generational project, we're looking at all avenues to see if there are other ways to do things that might be more beneficial for the ratepayers of the town."
He said an expansion is one of the many things in the "hopper." The district would need to first look at whether it's feasible and if ratepayers are in favor of it.
"It's not change for the sake of change. We're looking, again, at a bigger picture," Lennon said.
Once Lennon has gathered more information, he will bring options to the board and hope to have a public forum.
"That's part of what we're trying to do–is find a path forward. The reason we're having the informal discussions is to try to make sure we do this the right way, and see how other people have handled similar situations," he said.
Among potential capital costs is the need for repairs to the fire department's Engine 2 apparatus, which has rust jacking. This is when rust builds up between two metal pieces that sit against each other and pushes them apart.
During the Prudential Committee meeting, Lennon informed the board that he has contacted a few companies that handle apparatus repairs, and the closest one he found with staff available was Fleetmasters in Windsor Lock, Conn.
The company can take the truck as early as next week and will likely need it for about two days to complete the inspection.
Lennon said he explained the issue to the company's representative and was told that the presence of rust jacking does not necessarily mean "it's bad" and if caught early, there are repairs that can be done.
"We'll get that result from him, and hopefully go from there…if they say it's something that's serviceable…we would have to go ahead and put up a bid for it," Lennon said.
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