Taylor Mill commission again beset by angry citizens — and, yes, it’s about the new firehouse

By Patricia A. Scheyer
NKyTribune reporter

For the seventh straight month, the Taylor Mill Commission room was filled with people last week, most of whom were there to “beat on the commissioners” as Commissioner Dan Murray said during the meeting.

Mayor Daniel Bell and CAO Brian Haney talked to citizens who signed up to speak. (Photos by Patrica Scheyer/NKyTribune)

As always, the main topic of the regular meeting was the firehouse, specifically that the city wants to look into the numbers for building a new firehouse, and a faction of people who oppose a new firehouse at all costs and want the old firehouse remodeled.

“Expenditures are now running $500,000 a month, and we still have 3 months to go in this fiscal year,” said Stu Bowns. “We are almost equal in our expenditures and our revenues. So I am assuming we are going to do what we have done in the past which is take money from the unreserved fund and move it over into the budget to make it balance, which is required by the law. We’re going to do this over and over until that unreserved fund is going to be zero, because we are spending more than we are taking in.”

After meetings that have only had residents opposing spending money on the new firehouse, at this meeting, a resident, Lynn Berk, came to support the thought of a new firehouse.

“The need for a new firehouse and/or city complex is long overdue,” she said. “Why did past commissions– many who are still involved today, kick the firehose down the street? Prices are going up — they will never go down.”

Sbe said $775,000 has been spent on plans to build new facilities that now is looked upon as so much wasted money.

“The current firehouse was built in the seventies, it’s not a commercial build, it was finished in 1978 and the bays were added in 1979,” Berk continued. “In the KLH engineer’s report for CT Consultants, dated January 2021 the findings conclude that the lighting is outdated, and the electrical work is older than anything else. Any wiring done in the last five years is fine but anything before that is in fair to poor condition. Wiring devices fared poor, and many have heavy water damage. Improperly installed cables, outgown receptacle lines, and what is mind-blowing, and is in two places in the report, the facility does not have a fire suppression system. The facility is not equipped with a central comprehensive fire alarm system.”

Lynn Berk talked to commissioners in favor of a new firehouse.

She said there are some free-standing fire alarms and carbon monoxide alarms, but nothing centralized or professional.

“Wouldn’t it be ironic if the State Fire Marshall shut down the Taylor Mill Fire Department?” Berk stated. “Do we not want those who serve and protect us to also be protected? Do we not want our city employees to stay and work in an appropriate workspace? I am really not sure how we have fire employees who stay working for the city of Taylor Mill.”

Berk said, as a citizen, she wonders why the city is sitting on almost $8 million in reserves when that money could be used on other projects in the city. She said she has also been doing surveys about the firehouse. Some of the people had no idea what was going on and told her they they trust the people who have been elected. Others she talked to just constantly complained about the people in charge of the city.

Maddi Chierelli had referred earlier to a survey she set up for residents to take, which had different results from differently worded questions that can be presented at commission meetings. Also, flyers have been delivered to residents’ houses which tells people that the city has already committed to building a new firehouse at a cost of $4 million and states that the request for bids have gone out. It also says estimated costs for everything to put in the new firehouse are not included in the $4 million. The flyer states that the city engineer gave an estimate to remodel the old firehouse at a little over $1 million, and reminds people that the city needs a new firetruck, at an estimated cost of between $700,000 and $1 million, and that the budget has run over in the past two years, causing city officials to dip into the reserves.

Mike Blackburn asked if a financial analyst expert had been called in for this project.

Mike Blackburn asked if the city has had a financial analysis expert come in.

Mayor Daniel Bell said yes, they had one come in back in February of 2011, when the city was planning to build the entire city complex. But not this time.

Blackburn said he thought it would put a lot of people at ease to see a financial report.

“Every month we have a separate auditor come in and check our books,” Bell stated. “And then Von Lehman comes in and does a yearly audit for us every year. It has never been bad. Never. As of today we have no outstanding debts.”

Blackburn disagreed, saying the city needs a public works building and that is an obligation that will cost money. Bell countered, saying if they build a new firehouse, public works will take over the bays of the old firehouse.

Former commissioner Rose Merritt spoke up, saying financials of the city were supposed to be on the website, and this month they weren’t, but CAO Brian Haney said the city clerk forgot to put them up, and they would be available shortly.

Merritt also stated that the inspection report for the firehouse said that the mold spores were dormant, so it was okay for people to live there. Mayor Bell said that they only tested one wall, and that the spores could come back.

Roger Reis spoke, saying everyone knows something has to be done about the current firehouse, but his group wants the old firehouse to be remodeled.

Rebecca Reis said that she didn’t think spending money on a new firehouse was prudent, and she was opposed to the new build because the roads are a mess and the money could be used elsewhere in the city.

Commissioner Dan Murray explained that they have tried to fix the old firehouse, but they were temporary fixes. As far as the public works goes, the city has tried to find a solution.

Commissioner Dan Murray told residents he wanted to know the facts, then he was going to ‘pull the trigger.’

“You’re trying to say is that we don’t care about Public Works and that’s just not true,” said Murray. “Public Works, they don’t sleep in that building. The fire department sleeps in that building that has all these other issues going on. That’s what this is all about. I put a cap on it — I am A or B. I am not against remodeling. But I am not going to put a bandaid on that.”

He said it would probably cost $2 plus million dollars to remodel the firehouse the way it should be remodeled. He listed that it needs a fire supression system, a new HVAC system, new water pipes, new electric wires, a new equipment room, and a lot of other things.

Commissioner Caroline Braden said they would also have to house the firefighters while the remodel was going on, possibly for 6 months. She challenged everyone to take tour of the firehouse and just see how very bad things are in that building.

Mayor Bell said one of the advantages to a new build would be that the public works could take over the bays. He also said there are two bathrooms and one shower currently in the firehouse, and the city has two females in the fire department. He said that they need more bathrooms and two showers, a meeting room, and equipment room just for starters.

Rebecca Reis said she heard that the commission had already made the decision to build new.

“No, no, no,” said Dan Murray. “We voted for this new system. I am A or B — A we remodel what we have, B build/design. In the build design, you tell them what you want, then you also put a price tag on it. I just want to see what we can get. There is no – we haven’t voted on this yet, but you all are trying to beat us up before we even know which way we are going. I want the facts, And then we can put the facts out there in front of everybody here, and you can keep beating on us or not.”

He said he is an advocate for the fire department, and he wants firefighters to have decent living quarters. But in remodeling, there will be a need to expand the footing of the old firehouse to attain more space, and that will put the remodel subject to ADA rules and regulations, and that will greatly increase the cost of the remodel.

“We have to be very careful, its called ADA, and if we go outside the lines, which we have to to get the space we need, I’m afraid we might have to put another hallway in, another stairway, and maybe an elevator,” he explained. Murray reminded people that they were going to build a new city complex and because of opposition, commissioners did not ‘pull the trigger’ and it wasn’t built.

“I am going to pull the trigger, one way or another. We’re either going to remodel, and I am not going to throw any bandaids out there, or build new. I am not going to spend any more money than I have to, but I want a good product.”

Mayor Bell said they should have results of the design/build bids by the first week of May.