DALTON, Massachusetts – The asbestos level in the restroom at the police station next to the operations center has been reduced.
During Monday’s special committee meeting, Buildings and Grounds Supervisor Jeff Burch updated the committee on work being done to improve conditions in the basement of City Hall, where the police station is located.
The insurance company initially refused to cover the cost of repairing the bathroom, but Burch said he convinced them it was a one-time project.
She said the site was no longer a viable option for the police in the long term. A committee has been set up to examine all options for a new police station or combined public safety facility.
The construction of a new location will take several years, so in the meantime the city is working to improve the condition of the station.
In addition, the use of up to $82,000 in ARPA funds was approved for the planning and engineering of the modernization of the sanitation facilities and the installation of the police station’s ventilation system.
The City has sent out requests for proposals to engineering firms to provide schematic designs and cost estimates for a fresh air ventilation system and a new heat pump heating, ventilation and air conditioning system for the basement and first floor of City Hall.
They received two responses, and Burch said he and City Manager Thomas Hutcheson liked Hill Engineering’s proposal.
“It was the most cost-effective of the proposals and (includes) schematic designs and construction cost estimates for fresh air ventilation,” Burch said.
He said it will be an energy recovery ventilation system that extracts stale air and supplies fresh air in an energy efficient way so that no heat or cooling is lost in the space.
A heat pump design is also being investigated to determine what would be needed to run the entire site on a hot air system. This would reduce the load on the power station’s boilers and increase energy efficiency.
“Their price for the engineering services was $26,800, but that only includes schematic designs and construction estimates, which does not include bid preparation, contract administration or any tender documents,” Burch said.
“But this will give us a more comprehensive view of what the numbers need to be in order to make the improvements we need to make there at City Hall.”
The state health department has inspected City Hall and the library but has not received any reports yet. Burch said he went on the tour with them and there don’t appear to be any major problems to worry about.
A carbon dioxide test was conducted on the second floor on a Friday when no one was in the building. Burch said mold and other tests have not yet been done. The city must wait for the state’s report.
Board members asked to receive weekly updates on bathroom construction and work at City Hall.
It’s still unclear what the final cost will be to resolve these issues, but Hutcheson said the city may need to call a town hall meeting if additional funding is needed.
Keywords: Police station,
