Welcome to Fall One and All,
It is always difficult to explain complex issues without losing the reader’s interest. Mayor Battel used the initialism TLTR (Too Long To Read). Summaries are helpful, so if you read nothing else in this monthly Mayor’s letter, please read “The Short Version”.
The Short Version
Our emergency services choice is *not* whether to do something or to do nothing. Our choice is to do something or (1) to be subject to a minimum of $50,100 per day in State fines from PEOSH and Fire Safety officials, and (2) to continue to pay the current first aid and fire department budgets, and (3) to pay to replace equipment and supplies left outside on vehicles (or pay for another tent), and (4) to pay for additional file storage space.
Construction is cheaper than rebuilding. The construction costs for the two referendum options are $391,000 for a two bay and $565,000 for a four bay facility, assuming they are constructed at the Borough Hall property. The $1.6 mil and $2.7 mil amounts in the referendum questions include construction costs, bonding costs, 20 years of bond interest, 20 years of first aid budgets and 20 years of fire budgets, all including cost of living adjustments. Interest payments cease after 20 years. Using 20 year costs is the only way to compare apples to apples.
None of us wants a repetition of the early 1990’s when the town dithered about upgrading the sewer plant until the State lost patience and forced us into a 40 year high interest bond which we were unable to refinance for 20 years.
We Cannot Do Nothing
As someone who grew up in Roosevelt and who is currently a resident and taxpayer, I also want to preserve the best of Roosevelt and to keep my taxes and water/sewer bills low.
As much as we want to keep things the same, we need to understand that the laws have changed in the decades since our municipal buildings were built. We cannot buy lawn darts, smoke in restaurants, or use lead paint (as was used in most of our original homes). We must use seatbelts and baby seats. Chemistry kits cannot contain explosive components or radioactive materials. Municipal buildings must comply with new codes and safety regulations.
We also need to accurately know and remember our past. When our current facilities were built, our ambulance was a Cadillac hearse that could (almost) fit in an original Roosevelt garage. A standard fire truck was short enough to fit in our public works garage (which is the purpose for which our firehouse was originally built) and firefighters, like our own Ms. Gus Chasan, were allowed to breath exhaust and hang on to the back of a fire truck as it careened its way to a fire. I have been asked several times in our public meetings why we cannot have just one fire truck “like we always had”. Since 1940, Roosevelt has had a minimum of two trucks and often more. We have had over 200 ambulance calls this year and we had 36 fire department calls last year.
In the past, building codes were more lax and less specific. There was no Public Employees OSHA (PEOSH) to assure the health and safety of employees and volunteers. Our emergency buildings no longer meet even the most basic legal health, safety or structural requirements. If they are rebuilt, they must meet current requirements for critical buildings; they must have bathrooms, shower/changing areas, exits and exit signs, handicap accommodations, ventilation systems, working drains, drain separators, and more.
Building New Is Cheaper and Better
Rebuilding is expensive. It is much cheaper to simply tear down our old building and put up a steel pole building with proper facilities. We are not building a luxurious facility. Other newly constructed standard New Jersey emergency facilities range from a low of $1,136,000 in Wrightstown for just fire facilities to tens of millions of dollars. Take a look at http://www.cmdgroup.com/building-types/fire-stations/new-jersey/projects/.
We cannot simply ‘fix up’ our existing buildings. The written estimates and designs from the certified engineers/ architects make it clear that this option is substantially more expensive.
Similarly, the cost of rebuilding the gas station is prohibitive as we would also have to expand the doors, reinforce and reface the building, install a generator, extend water and sewer lines, install a lift station, install a new roof structure, repave, and add other modifications. It is cheaper to knock it down and build new. We have over 100 Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to private businesses to purchase and refurbish the gas station. As of this writing, we have interest from at least two potential buyers. Taxes from such a business would help defray the cost of new facilities. Due to additional costs, building an emergency services facility on the gas station property or the north property only makes sense if we are prevented from using the current Borough Hall property.
The Cost Calculations and Funding Costs Are Reasonable
The building cost estimates used by the Council were prepared by certified engineers, architects, and contractors. The costs include overruns and soft costs.
The sources and cost of funds used by the Council were calculated by a professional municipal accountant and by bond specialists. Bond interest costs are the lowest they have been in decades and they have nowhere to go but up.
The first aid squad and fire department projected budgets the Council used in its calculations are based on ten years of history and include cost of living increases. There is no reason for them to change materially because newer buildings cost less to maintain and we will continue to replace our vehicles using donated equipment and grants, just as we always have.
We cannot pay for any of the reasonable options without issuing a bond due to NJ CAP laws and other restrictions on using current funds. Even if we could use our current budgets to finance a rebuilding, your taxes would increase more than $1,000 for 2017. That is not reasonable. There are no grants available for brick and mortar projects. If they exist in the future, we will gladly use them to reduce our costs.
Consider and Vote!
In November, you will be asked to choose between (1) building a four bay building (intended for two fire trucks and two ambulances), keeping our fire and first aid departments, and relying on free backup from Millstone (at a construction cost of $565,000), or (2) building a two bay building (intended for two ambulances at a construction cost of $391,000), dissolving our fire department, and entering into a fire services agreement with Millstone Fire District.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both options. The Mayor and Council will be sending you information sheets and we will be having one or more town-wide meetings to answer questions. Please consider each option carefully, please read the materials you receive and attend a town-wide meeting and PLEASE VOTE!
It is always difficult to explain complex issues without losing the reader’s interest. Mayor Battel used the initialism TLTR (Too Long To Read). Summaries are helpful, so if you read nothing else in this monthly Mayor’s letter, please read “The Short Version”.
The Short Version
Our emergency services choice is *not* whether to do something or to do nothing. Our choice is to do something or (1) to be subject to a minimum of $50,100 per day in State fines from PEOSH and Fire Safety officials, and (2) to continue to pay the current first aid and fire department budgets, and (3) to pay to replace equipment and supplies left outside on vehicles (or pay for another tent), and (4) to pay for additional file storage space.
Construction is cheaper than rebuilding. The construction costs for the two referendum options are $391,000 for a two bay and $565,000 for a four bay facility, assuming they are constructed at the Borough Hall property. The $1.6 mil and $2.7 mil amounts in the referendum questions include construction costs, bonding costs, 20 years of bond interest, 20 years of first aid budgets and 20 years of fire budgets, all including cost of living adjustments. Interest payments cease after 20 years. Using 20 year costs is the only way to compare apples to apples.
None of us wants a repetition of the early 1990’s when the town dithered about upgrading the sewer plant until the State lost patience and forced us into a 40 year high interest bond which we were unable to refinance for 20 years.
We Cannot Do Nothing
As someone who grew up in Roosevelt and who is currently a resident and taxpayer, I also want to preserve the best of Roosevelt and to keep my taxes and water/sewer bills low.
As much as we want to keep things the same, we need to understand that the laws have changed in the decades since our municipal buildings were built. We cannot buy lawn darts, smoke in restaurants, or use lead paint (as was used in most of our original homes). We must use seatbelts and baby seats. Chemistry kits cannot contain explosive components or radioactive materials. Municipal buildings must comply with new codes and safety regulations.
We also need to accurately know and remember our past. When our current facilities were built, our ambulance was a Cadillac hearse that could (almost) fit in an original Roosevelt garage. A standard fire truck was short enough to fit in our public works garage (which is the purpose for which our firehouse was originally built) and firefighters, like our own Ms. Gus Chasan, were allowed to breath exhaust and hang on to the back of a fire truck as it careened its way to a fire. I have been asked several times in our public meetings why we cannot have just one fire truck “like we always had”. Since 1940, Roosevelt has had a minimum of two trucks and often more. We have had over 200 ambulance calls this year and we had 36 fire department calls last year.
In the past, building codes were more lax and less specific. There was no Public Employees OSHA (PEOSH) to assure the health and safety of employees and volunteers. Our emergency buildings no longer meet even the most basic legal health, safety or structural requirements. If they are rebuilt, they must meet current requirements for critical buildings; they must have bathrooms, shower/changing areas, exits and exit signs, handicap accommodations, ventilation systems, working drains, drain separators, and more.
Building New Is Cheaper and Better
Rebuilding is expensive. It is much cheaper to simply tear down our old building and put up a steel pole building with proper facilities. We are not building a luxurious facility. Other newly constructed standard New Jersey emergency facilities range from a low of $1,136,000 in Wrightstown for just fire facilities to tens of millions of dollars. Take a look at http://www.cmdgroup.com/building-types/fire-stations/new-jersey/projects/.
We cannot simply ‘fix up’ our existing buildings. The written estimates and designs from the certified engineers/ architects make it clear that this option is substantially more expensive.
Similarly, the cost of rebuilding the gas station is prohibitive as we would also have to expand the doors, reinforce and reface the building, install a generator, extend water and sewer lines, install a lift station, install a new roof structure, repave, and add other modifications. It is cheaper to knock it down and build new. We have over 100 Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to private businesses to purchase and refurbish the gas station. As of this writing, we have interest from at least two potential buyers. Taxes from such a business would help defray the cost of new facilities. Due to additional costs, building an emergency services facility on the gas station property or the north property only makes sense if we are prevented from using the current Borough Hall property.
The Cost Calculations and Funding Costs Are Reasonable
The building cost estimates used by the Council were prepared by certified engineers, architects, and contractors. The costs include overruns and soft costs.
The sources and cost of funds used by the Council were calculated by a professional municipal accountant and by bond specialists. Bond interest costs are the lowest they have been in decades and they have nowhere to go but up.
The first aid squad and fire department projected budgets the Council used in its calculations are based on ten years of history and include cost of living increases. There is no reason for them to change materially because newer buildings cost less to maintain and we will continue to replace our vehicles using donated equipment and grants, just as we always have.
We cannot pay for any of the reasonable options without issuing a bond due to NJ CAP laws and other restrictions on using current funds. Even if we could use our current budgets to finance a rebuilding, your taxes would increase more than $1,000 for 2017. That is not reasonable. There are no grants available for brick and mortar projects. If they exist in the future, we will gladly use them to reduce our costs.
Consider and Vote!
In November, you will be asked to choose between (1) building a four bay building (intended for two fire trucks and two ambulances), keeping our fire and first aid departments, and relying on free backup from Millstone (at a construction cost of $565,000), or (2) building a two bay building (intended for two ambulances at a construction cost of $391,000), dissolving our fire department, and entering into a fire services agreement with Millstone Fire District.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both options. The Mayor and Council will be sending you information sheets and we will be having one or more town-wide meetings to answer questions. Please consider each option carefully, please read the materials you receive and attend a town-wide meeting and PLEASE VOTE!