Home » Business » Sedona Fire District October 4 Special Meeting Minutes

Sedona Fire District October 4 Special Meeting Minutes

Sedona AZ (October 12, 2012) – The SedonaEye.com publishes the October 4, 2012 Minutes of the Sedona Fire District Governing Board without editorial comment:

~ DRAFT ~

10-4-12 SFD Special Meeting Minutes.doc Page 1

Sedona Fire District

2860 Southwest Drive, Sedona, Arizona 86336

Telephone (928) 282-6800 FAX (928) 282-6857

SPECIAL BOARD MEETING

Station #1 – 2860 Southwest Drive – West Sedona – Multipurpose Room

Thursday, October 4, 2012 / 4:30 PM

~ MINUTES ~

I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL.

Board Present: Ty Montgomery – Chairman; Corrie Cooperman – Clerk; Nazih Hazime and Diane Schoen – Members

Board Absent:  Craig Dible – Member

Staff Present:  Fire Chief Kris Kazian; Assistant Chief Terry Keller; Fire Marshal Gary Johnson; Executive Assistant/Recorder to the Board Tricia Greer

Others Present:  Lawrence and Lance Enyart, LEA Architects; About 20 Members of the Public

Chairman Ty Montgomery opened the meeting at 4:04 PM.

II. SALUTE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND MOMENT OF SILENCE TO HONOR ALL AMERICAN MEN AND WOMEN IN SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY, FIREFIGHTERS, AND POLICE OFFICERS.

Mr. Montgomery led the Pledge of Allegiance and Moment of Silence.

III. PUBLIC FORUM.

A. Public Comments.

Mr. Montgomery asked to hold public comments regarding the proposed Station #6 design until after the architects’ presentation, but recognized a member of the public who wished to speak about a different matter.

Dorothy O’Brien, Village of Oak Creek:

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Board, a pleasure to see some of you that I haven’t seen in awhile and thank you for all your service. Much appreciated, Chief, and so on. What I’d like to say, first of all, is thank you, and the thank you is because once again, one of the safety professionals at the Sedona Fire District has not only exceeded our customer service expectations, but if you heard that cell phone go off, then you can just imagine what it was like for Fire Marshal Johnson to be on vacation and to have his cell phone erroneously listed as the contact number in the Celtic Harvest Festival website. So, you know, in typical Fire Marshal Johnson fashion, he just fielded the phone calls all week, and it wasn’t until Friday that I got a phone call from Gary saying, what time is the festival tomorrow, and I said, where are you, and he said, Las Vegas…so, what are you calling me for? He said, well, I’m getting a few calls and I just wanted to make sure I was telling them the right thing. I said, what do you mean you’re getting a few calls, Gary? So, apparently, you know, these things happen. I don’t know how his cell phone got on the website, but indeed, his cell phone was on the Celtic Harvest Festival website and he fielded the calls. He knew about the parking, he knew about the times, he knew about the entertainers, and all I could say is, he fielded the calls. And I just thought that that was worth comment in the Public Comment, because you guys hear all kinds of things. I’ve been here saying all kinds of things when I have a strong opinion about something for sure and I’ve a strong opinion about this, and it’s thank you, Fire Marshal Johnson for exceeding again our customer service expectations. It was a spectacular example of how to go the extra mile and thank you for that. The whole festival team, Poco Diablo, I’ve told everybody because that was pretty marvelous. And we won’t do it again, by the way. We’ll use, you know, Chairman Montgomery’s phone next time. So, thank you very much.

~ DRAFT ~ 10-4-12 SFD Special Meeting Minutes.doc Page 2

So, that’s the first thing. I don’t know how many minutes that took, but the second thing is the Wildcat Carnival. This is another happy thing that’s coming up and it’s so nice to say something happy to you. The Wildcat Carnival is coming up on October 27 th and that, of course, is a big fundraiser for the school programs at the West Sedona School, and my part-time employer, some of you know or don’t know, is Don Nelms, the Farmers’ agent in town. One of the things he does is sponsor a huge pumpkin carving contest that the kids look forward to. They have a ball doing it and every year when Nazih was Chief, he was one of our first judges at the time. Chief Keller also judged last year and you have to admit it was really fun, wasn’t it Terry? Yeah. There you go. And we have the pictures to prove it, and the kids…I mean, it’s a wonderful time for them to see people in uniform in a very positive, good way and so, it’s important. And this year, Chief Kazian is going to be the judge representing the fire district with a spin on it. He is then going to use his amazing skills as a live auctioneer to then auction off the pumpkins. So, you should know that all those proceeds go to the school programs, and again, it’s a little bit of happy news. I just thought we wanted to publicly thank you and as well as Fire Marshal Johnson and with that, I leave you to your further discussion and thank you very much.

Mr. Montgomery seconded thanks to Fire Marshal Johnson because he heard from staff at the facility where he works in the Village of Oak Creek about Gary’s performing beyond expectations on a fire alarm problem.

B. Executive Staff Response to Public Comments.

There was no response to this item.

IV. BUSINESS.

A. Discussion/Possible Action: Station #6 Architectural Process / Presentation by LEA Architects and Staff; Provide Fire Chief and LEA with direction on general building exterior and any related building features.

Chief Kazian said this proposed station has been discussed since 2007, and come a long way; his involvement only began six months ago, and after Board direction, he scheduled a “kick-off” meeting about six weeks ago with Lance and Lawrence (Larry) Enyart of LEA Architects; during that meeting, staff along with two of the Board Members who were previously involved in the Station 6 committee, provided direction based on current needs. He said five weeks later, LEA presented he and Assistant Chief Terry Keller the current design with a few modifications made in the last week; he is exceptionally pleased based on staff’s expert input, but mostly, due to the design expertise of LEA. Chief Kazian then introduced the Enyarts and reminded all present that after their presentation, public comments and questions would be allowed.

(Note: The PowerPoint presentation of the proposed design is attached.) The following are highlights from the presentation:

The Enyarts thanked SFD Board, staff, and user group members who helped with a new design over time.

Gave a quick history lesson: started in 2007; this is the third rendition; met with user group and determined a two bay station was desired; former design was 9,400 square feet and this version is about 6,400 square feet; acknowledged great neighbors of the site in the Jewish Community Center (JCC) and Christ Lutheran; former design received an international award for an un-built facility, but reality necessitated a scaled down model due to cost concerns of the community and Board.

Station architecture was designed to integrate into the neighborhood and environment.

Has a single pitch roof, gently sloping with two bays facing west.

Friendship walk between the church and synagogue still exists.

Basic site circulation from the previous design remains intact in the new site, but in cutting back square footage allowed also cutting back on site disturbance leaving more open space with setbacks on each side; vehicular site circulation still ingresses from Meadowlark through JCC parking and loading the bays from the east side; emergency egress occurs on west side of facility with a reduced driveway width.

New aspect of the site plan is the turnaround on west side allowing an ambulance to enter off Highway 179 and back into the bay providing extra storage capability.

Fence screening of generator, evaporative cooler, A/C unit, dumpster, and propane tank is provided.

~ DRAFT ~10-4-12 SFD Special Meeting Minutes.doc Page 3

Parking is broken up for the public on west side and staff on the east with 14 parking spaces.

Floor plan configuration includes staggered apparatus bays with medical examination room off main lobby; off the lobby is entry to dayroom, kitchen, and dining in a great room concept conserving square footage; off the kitchen/dining is a patio; dormitory room count was reduced from six to five (for which Chief Kazian stated he is comfortable with the space for appropriate staffing for at least the next 20 years) with two restrooms and a public restroom off the main lobby. Also included in the floor plan is a training room designed for 10 to 12 people and a physical conditioning room; apparatus bays are in direct connect to the living area because just a few seconds count in emergency response; support areas for turnout storage, SCBAs, and maintenance are on the south end of the apparatus bays with mezzanine storage above allowing natural light into bays and storage.

Aerial perspective shows a simple architectural form with single pitched roof; materials proposed are natural, low maintenance, integral color concrete masonry in earth tones similar to surrounding environment, and a naturally weathering steel roof which will have a rich terracotta color when it patinas.

Building is sustainable including solar tubes allowing light into interior, minimal glass facing west and shading of the building by overhangs; exhaust and communication equipment occurs at the highest point of the building; roof allows harvesting of rain water; natural light into apparatus bay; added insulation; recycled components; pervious pavers, when available, for conserving water; minimal lighting; masonry is incorporated in interior of the building offering thermal mass – cool in the summer and warm in the winter; low E insulated glass; access to views; natural ventilation with operable windows; energy efficient mechanical and lighting; motion sensors; energy management system is under consideration; alternate transportation bicycle racks; light pollution reduction; indigenous landscaping with low water usage; natural and recycled materials; low flow/dual flush toilets; material waste management; community connectivity; patio will include mementoes important to the fire service in the wall.

Building sits lower than surrounding buildings and affords a nice street presence with earth colors and natural tones blending into environment; inspiration came from strata layering of the rock formations as well as the simple form of the Chapel of the Holy Cross for the shed roof design; in a cost-effective way, looked at different banding through projecting masonry units in the façade on the north elevation.

Heights of the building begin at 8 ½ feet at one end to about 27 feet at the high point.

Amount of glass is limited on the west and east faces with most of glazing on north and south sides, which from solar orientation is the right thing to do to reduce heat gain into the space; the solar tubes for lighting are located on the north elevation looking from Lutheran Church.

Compared to other two-bay “sub-station, satellite facilities”, the square footage is compressed and in comparison, Paradise Valley’s satellite station is around 8,000 square feet.

Past discussion about reducing bays from three to two resulted in a two-story design concept; LEA has been in business for 37 years with well over 100+ fire stations and knows Americans with Disabilities Act becomes an important consideration in two-story buildings; the decision was made to further compress design eliminating need for an elevator shaft even after increasing apparatus bay by 700 feet to accommodate existing apparatus; however, 300 feet were removed by using a one-story concept.

Building is considered an essential use facility to be used “24/7/365” and will take wear and tear over time with constant activity and must include maintenance minimization; there is a 15% plus-up in structural members and everything must be built “beefier” because of essential use category.

Chief Kazian commented the design flow of the bunk rooms and day room into the apparatus floor work very efficiently and spatially for emergency response; and from the community standpoint, the building has curb appeal fitting nicely into the environment. He said SFD has learned from the past that facilities need to be designed with maintenance consciousness to avoid yearly expenses. He said although we are happy to incorporate sustainability features, this will not be a LEED certified “green” building, but will use as much eco-friendly and minimal environmental impact features as feasible.

Mr. Enyart pointed out both he and Lance are LEED accredited professionals and are proud of having the first LEED Platinum fire station in the USA, as well as LEED Gold and Silver projects including one at Grand

~ DRAFT ~ 10-4-12 SFD Special Meeting Minutes.doc Page 4

Canyon National Park Airport; he said “patience is a virtue” because although SFD’s project has taken five years so far, the Grand Canyon Airport took twelve years to complete; he said it is LEA’s pleasure to present this design to the community and pledged to “hang with it” until it is completed. Mr. Enyart said the building is greatly reduced in price from the initial design and it is wise to take advantage of the economic times’ low construction pricing; he said it is important for all to work together as a team and make this station happen.

Chief Kazian thanked LEA and commented we need to find a place in the station to memorialize the statement, “Patience is a virtue” because of the years of time SFD has waited for its fruition; he said staff is exceptionally pleased with the product and in LEA’s professionalism and dedication to our community to make sure we get a building that will work well for us for many years, as well as understanding our financial concerns. Chairman Montgomery asked the architects to stay until after the Public Forum to be able to answer questions and discuss the drawings with the public; he then requested comments.

Public Forum:

Carolyn Fisher, Village of Oak Creek:

First of all, I’d like to say, thank you for listening to the community from where we started and I was there with you, Terry, when the first… iteration was shown, and I think we’ve come a long way to coming back to what’s essential to the community as opposed to all the nice to haves. With all due respect, I’m not particularly interested in the design awards; I’m interested in meeting the needs of the community in a cost-effective way. So, I think we’ve come a long way to doing that and I appreciate all the hard work. One concern I have, and I’ll take you back to Station 3 in the Village because I was part of the two citizens who participated with the fire district in that design, knowing nothing, but knowing that when we talked about antennae, our community was very concerned about the visual that we would get from the antennas, and to be quite frank, it has proliferated and I noticed a few months ago that there’s an awful lot of stuff up on that antennae, and it’s lost what the community wanted in terms of not becoming so cluttered, such a visual eyesore. Be that as it may, you know, the fire district has done some of that in the interest of trying to save us some money by renting space on the antennae. I ask that we keep that in mind with antennas here. The other thing that concerns me is that we don’t need to duplicate all the capabilities that we have in Station 1 and Station 3 in this mid-station. I mean, we don’t need everything that, for example, you know, we do have community meetings and we’re very thankful that our Big Park Regional Coordinating Council can meet in the fire station out in the Village. I think it’s good for us and good for you. But, I don’t think we can afford in this economy to have everything duplicated. So, we need to keep that in mind. And, then, my last thing to keep in mind is how we’re going to fund this. You know, we’re looking at the budget couldn’t be sustained at the old mil rate, we raised the mil rate, or you raised the mil rate, to make it sustainable at what we’ve got now and so, you know, we’re looking at the override for the school district in this next election. We need to keep people’s pocketbooks in mind. Thank you very much.

Chief Kazian then addressed some of Ms. Fisher’s questions; he said staff will be cautious of the antennas’ visibility, which will be placed in the two “chimney-type” structures on the drawing, as well as a microwave dish, which is not depicted; this equipment is required for our communication needs, but we will keep those as inconspicuous as possible. Regarding services being duplicated, he said there is no “extra anything”, such as a community meeting room, but to not include a small training room seemed counterproductive for our firefighters; however, the station is incredibly downsized from the original design. Regarding financing, he said the station will be funded as a lease purchase through budgeting and financial planning.

Karen Schmitt – Mrs. Schmitt declined the opportunity to speak.

Karen Straugh, Chapel Area:

I am so pleased to see this beautiful building and even though we know the necessity of having a better response time in the Chapel, we know that this is a midway station that will serve as a backup for both VOC and the station Uptown, which was very much needed. Although cost is important to both the Board and the citizens, and you have worked very hard, I’m so impressed with keeping the square footage down and being able to keep the costs down. I was so concerned earlier when there was a discussion of another type of building because our community worked so hard on Highway 179 that it was context

 ~ DRAFT ~ 10-4-12 SFD Special Meeting Minutes.doc Page 5

sensitive, and this building borders on our beautiful Highway 179. So, to have it compatible to the standards of design and functionality within Sedona, I think, is very important and I applaud both the architects, the Chief, and our Board and how hard they have worked on both cost, design, and functionality. The sustainability aspects of this are wonderful with what you have done. I think my husband’s going to speak on one concern, but you have tried to incorporate so many sustainability aspects to project forward and look forward with minimal maintenance that I’m just so proud to be able to drive down the Chapel Road and see this station. So, thank you… all of you.

Ernie Straugh, Chapel area:

Good afternoon. I am the Vice Chair of the Sedona Sustainability Commission, and although I want to make it very clear I am not representing the Sustainability Commission in any way, shape, or form, this is a personal comment. There are some things that the Sustainability Commission would like you to consider… no, scratch that. A few things that I think I would like you to consider, and first of all, let me again, as my wife just did, acknowledge and commend you for all the sustainability features that you have built-in, that’s…and I understand also, exactly why even though, it actually might qualify for a Gold or at least Silver, the cost of achieving that designation is, you know, beyond what someone really needs. So…so, I understand all that. My somewhat concern is the fact that solar panels were not mentioned whatsoever, and as a potential long-term cost savings, I, personally, have 36 solar panels on my home and my electric bill monthly is $10 a month. Also, noticing the orientation of that roof, it’s a…it seems almost like a perfect 15 degree slope which is what you want at this latitude for solar…perfect solar receptacle and… but, it’s the roof, the main slope is toward the north, rather than toward the south. It would seem to me if you used exactly the same design, everything the same, but just flipped it around, you would have a perfect roof slope for solar panels. And be able to reduce your power consumption unbelievably or almost down to next to nothing and, currently, at the…the current reduced price of solar panels and continuing into the future, I think you’d probably have about a six, seven year return on investment, at least that’s what I found in my personal home. So, I’d like a…a little comment and discussion and obviously, it increases the initial cost outlay, but I think if you’re thinking in any kind of a long term sustainability action that I need to know why we aren’t doing that. Thank you.

Chief Kazian responded that solar panels were discussed, but flipping the station, although it may work well for solar energy does not work for the bays to “empty” to Highway 179 and line with the curb cuts and Skyline Drive; he said they have discussed doing preliminary wiring to be ready for future photo-voltaic configuration; however, in being cost-sensitive to all parts of the community, the hurdle is the initial costs even knowing there is a breakeven point in return of our investments. Mr. Straugh responded curb cuts can be changed by ADOT and if SFD considered in the future using the sloped roof, as designed, it would have a fairly unsightly appearance with the entire solar array visible.

Mr. Enyart stated several of their Coconino County building projects have roof-mounted solar, and Mr. Straugh is correct in the roof’s orientation; however, they are looking at the opportunity to put solar collectors on the south side off the screen fence hiding the generator, etc., and not on the roof; he said another opportunity for solar collection is, as they did on the El Mirage Fire Station, to include carports with roof-mounted solar collectors; he said in their cost avoidance efforts, it is in the design plan to set up wiring for inverters and apparatus for future solar collectors.

Walter Hornberger, Chapel area:

Members of the Fire Board and Chief Kazian, it has been a pleasure to attend three Board meetings since the seating of the new Board and our new Chief. The transparency of your actions and the total efforts to keep those of us who are interested in the operation of the department has been very refreshing. It is great that we can now anticipate some action after all the expenses, studies, research, and delays we have experienced over the past several years. I would just like to thank you personally that I can see the end of this delay to make it safer for those of us residing in the Chapel area.

Bill Bladt, Skyline Drive:

I live at…Skyline Drive which looks right at the station, so that’s brought me out here today. A couple of questions, I see that the south bay on the chart shows what looks to me like an aerial ladder or aerial platform. Does that mean that the plan is that the current aerial platform is to be housed at

 ~ DRAFT ~ 10-4-12 SFD Special Meeting Minutes.doc Page 6

this location?

Chief Kazian: At this time, yes. Mr. Bladt: Terrific. As far as costs to run the firehouse, I assume the architects can answer this, that it is going to be gas heated? Natural gas? Mr. Enyart: Correct. Mr. Bladt: And cooling will be electricity? Mr. Enyart: Heat pumps. Mr. Bladt: And something that had been in the paper was that the number of employees in the fire district to man a station were already on the payroll. Is that still the case? Chief Kazian: That is correct. We don’t anticipate hiring any more full-time employees at this time when the station opens. We are talking about reserve personnel that would help augment staffing and help assist us, but there is not any intention of having to hire any additional staffing. Mr. Bladt: And one last question, the overhead doors appear to be sort of a commercial type door with lights in them? Mr. Enyart: That’s correct. So, the panels alternate between solid and glass. Mr. Bladt: I would ask since unless I’m out of town, I’m going to look at this fire station several times every day, I would like you to consider instead of having the lights in those doors, perhaps if they could be solid doors. That might be something more aesthetically pleasing. Thank you.

Mr. Montgomery then opened the floor for Board discussion. Board Member Nazih Hazime commented as this is a satellite station, he agrees with the size being condensed and still addressing the needs of the fire service with cost savings and not the “nice to haves”; he believes every room in the building will be utilized effectively and assumes it would be ADA compliant; he asked Chief Kazian to comment on the reasoning behind using panes of glass in the bay doors; Chief Kazian responded it is for natural light in the apparatus bays and goes back to sustainability in saving electricity; Mr. Hazime suggested there could be automatic shut-off of bay lights after crews leave for a night-time incident. Chief Kazian said it is not the intention to leave all lights burning all night, but rather, to use minimal lighting to limit light pollution. Chief Kazian said from a safety standpoint, the station should be appropriately illuminated. Mr. Hazime suggested not eliminating all the glass panels, but to consider reducing the number of rows while still achieving cost savings from natural lighting; he thanked all for their efforts in developing the station design. Chief Kazian said the three bands of light provide more illumination in the bays during the day.

Board Clerk Corrie Cooperman thanked the architects for doing an exceptional job in downsizing the size, but retaining a highly aesthetic shape and form for the community; she understands currently there are leasing options for solar equipment to eliminate the initial outlay of funds, resulting in a 15 to 20% return on electricity costs; Chief Kazian said they have budgeted to wire and plumb for future solar functionality while trying to balance the benefits and cost effectiveness; staff could research lease programs and solar capabilities could be presented to the Board as options for funding. Lance Enyart commented the El Mirage Fire Station previously referenced is using a lease-purchase option for its solar array; Mrs. Cooperman asked if the savings are, as she has read, about 15 to 20%; Mr. Enyart confirmed same. Mr. Montgomery suggested the Chief talk to El Mirage regarding their lease option to gain further information. Chief Kazian said staff has gone through the project and identified the “have to haves”, “need to haves”, and “nice to haves” and as much as he would love to incorporate solar in the project, he is sensitive to the citizens and “sticker shock”, but will do some financing research. Mrs. Cooperman then asked about the mezzanine’s usage. Mr. Enyart said the mezzanine is for equipment and supply storage at a very inexpensive cost; Mrs. Cooperman asked about access to the mezzanine; Mr. Enyart said a stairway will be part of the “tower” for communication, storage, exhaust system, and could be utilized for ladder training.

Board Member Diane Schoen shared that about four years ago when she was President of the Jewish Community Center and Synagogue, she first came to a Sedona Fire Board meeting and never imagined she would now be sitting here as a Board Member and that, finally, the Chapel-area station would become a reality; she attended past meetings because of her husband’s health and her desire to have appropriate emergency medical coverage in the Chapel area; she served on the Station Committee and acknowledged and thanked the Committee’s Chairman, Jim Evans – a former-SFD Fire Board member, for his dedication through the years to see this project come to fruition; she also thanked Chief Keller for his work on this station from the beginning and, of course, the architects for their design. She then recognized another Chapel area resident, Karen Schmitt, who has given her “heart and soul” to getting this facility built and keeping the citizens of this

~ DRAFT ~ 10-4-12 SFD Special Meeting Minutes.doc Page 7

community safer. Mrs. Schoen stated today is a very moving, important, and emotional meeting for her, and that the JCC looks forward to the groundbreaking and ribbon-cutting for the safety of the entire community.

Mr. Montgomery added that two and a half years ago, he became interested in serving on this Board, and one of his thoughts was SFD needed a station in the Chapel area; so, now, he is happy to be “nitpicking” design features of the station instead of still talking about the concept. As a person with firefighter experience, he asked about having the sixth bunk for a reserve, rover or student; Chief Kazian responded the station will only be staffed initially with three or four firefighters, with room for a fifth person to bunk; he said the reserve model is being discussed which could add a Reserve to Station 6 as a fourth Firefighter, if the program is successful; he said having four on the engine and two on the ambulance is not currently warranted, but based on design and financial constraints, overbuilding the station is not an option and he is extremely comfortable with five dorm rooms; if someday we end up with a sixth firefighter there, the captain’s dorm could be turned into a bunk room and the captain could take over the crew office.

Mr. Montgomery said, logistically, looking at the structure, if the ladder truck is located there with the engine positioned behind the ambulance, and staffed with three firefighters, how would a first-out engine call be handled. Chief Kazian said he believes the first-out truck at Station 6 would be the ladder until future expansion of Station 4 in Uptown where it would, ideally, be stationed long-term; the fire engine to be stationed at #6 is a Type 3 engine more appropriate for wildland deployment.

Mr. Montgomery informed the public SFD’s ladder truck can function as a pumper to distribute water and commented as a VOC resident, he is comfortable with the ladder truck being more centrally located; Chief Kazian agreed.

Mrs. Schoen asked the Chief and architects the big question: when will the station be built? Chief Kazian replied they would get to that, but wanted to confirm emergency access for those vehicles will exit from the front of the station, and the wildland engine could face out the rear or front, but its usage is more limited than the other apparatus; to mitigate any neighborhood fear of vehicles responding out the back of the station onto Meadowlark, that would not be functional or feasible for emergency operations; he confirmed all emergency responses would be through the front; additionally, the ambulance will not typically use the Meadowlark entrance, but rather, the front apron; this will minimize traffic across the JCC parking lot to the back of the station by at least 50%. He assured everyone of SFD’s willingness to be a partner in the community, as shown in the design of this building; we could have presented a more industrial, square, not architecturally or environmentally-friendly design, but since the station is located on one of the gateways to our community on Highway 179, it is important to have a nice building for those who drive by on a regular basis.

He reinforced the desire to be “good neighbors” and will be cognizant of minimizing noise and disturbances in the Chapel area; he said this station will not just be for the Chapel area, but will have far-reaching response capabilities for all parts of our district, especially the VOC and Uptown; he is confident of a reduction in response times; additionally, he invited the neighborhood to stop by the firehouse when finished and visit with the firefighters; he said having a fire station in the neighborhood cannot be a “bad thing”. Chief Kazian said this has been a long process and counted the number of chiefs involved and believes there have been four.

Chief Kazian indicated his desire of the Board to give consensus to move forward and begin the permitting process and to have the drawings completed, which will take about three or four months, and then a Request for Proposals to award the bid for a contractor and get on their building docket; his hope is by March of 2014 the station would be completed and open; additionally, the cost was projected to be $1.2 to $1.5 million based on “gut” and “guess” and now we have an actual design; he said the building could have been a “lot cheaper” with hollow core doors, etc., but we are working extremely hard to keep it to that cap and be built to last; he expects it to be close to, and hopefully not over, the $1.5 million; he said some of the features may have to be phased in “down the road” because of costs; however, he wants all to understand this is not a residential home, but is a ruggedized building for constant use and has very few – if any – frills with a concrete floor, no carpeting, and no luxury accommodations; he said we do not want to “cheap out” here and then end up paying for it multiple times over in the future.

Mr. Montgomery recalled the first concept was estimated to cost $2.8 million, and although the Board wants the building to cost less than $1.5 million, he does not want to “nickel and dime” the process and end up with the wrong building for $100,000 difference, especially on an annual basis on a 10, 15, or 20 year lease purchase; he said the “ship has sailed” on the ability to pay cash for the

~ DRAFT ~ 10-4-12 SFD Special Meeting Minutes.doc Page 8

building, as could have been done in the past, and even if the budget has to be squeezed, we must make sure the station is built to further protect the community we serve.

Mr. Montgomery said he appreciates the Chief being forthcoming about the cost challenges; he stated he likes the design and its’ efficient use of space and requested the designs be posted on the SFD website. Chief Kazian asked for consensus of the Board to have clear guidance on the agreement to move forward with this design and to have no misconceptions when it is completed in approximately 18 months; Mr. Montgomery said even though the Board gave its formal approval previously to move forward with the project, he agreed to ask for Board consensus to continue, as presented; the other Board Members indicated their consensus.

B. Update: Staff Preparation of Request For Proposals (RFP) for a Fire Engine Refurbishment.

Assistant Chief Keller said this was included in the budget to refurbish SFD’s 2001 KME fire engine which is approximately one-third of the cost of an engine replacement; the hope is the refurbishment will provide at least 10 years of service life to the district as well as efficiency; the RFP has been released to various vendors and a notice placed in the Red Rock News; proposals are due back in November with the plan to bring staff recommendations on the bid at the December Board meeting for approval; shipment of the refurbished engine thereafter would be expected around the first of the year.

C. Discussion/Possible Action: Approval of Intergovernmental Agreements for Dispatching with the Following Agencies: Black Canyon City Fire District; Camp Verde Fire District; Clarkdale Fire District; Cottonwood Fire Department; Jerome Fire Department; Mayer Fire District; Montezuma-Rimrock Fire District; Pinewood Fire District; Verde Valley Fire District; Verde Valley Ambulance Company.

Mr. Montgomery commented these are the IGAs reviewed by Attorney Donna Aversa and which the Board received. Mrs. Cooperman said they seem straight forward and noted the potential conflict of interest for Mr. Whittington. Chief Kazian said we need to have contracts with all parties and that they would terminate on June 30, 2014; in the meantime, staff continues to work with the user group to try to solidify future dispatch needs;

Mrs. Schoen then moved to approve the dispatching IGAs between SFD and Black Canyon City Fire District; Camp Verde Fire District; Clarkdale Fire District; Cottonwood Fire Department; Jerome Fire Department; Mayer Fire District; Montezuma-Rimrock Fire District; Pinewood Fire District; Verde Valley Fire District; Verde Valley Ambulance Company, as presented; Mrs. Cooperman seconded; the motion passed with Mr. Montgomery, Mrs. Cooperman, and Mrs. Schoen voting “aye” and Mr. Hazime abstaining.

Mr. Montgomery reminded all that the next Board meeting will be held at Station 3 in the Village of Oak Creek on Wednesday, October 24 at 4:30 PM, possibly with an Executive Session to begin at 4:00 PM.

V. ADJOURNMENT.

The meeting adjourned at 6:10 PM.

Ty Montgomery, Chairman of the Board:tg

For the best Sedona Arizona News and Views? Subscribe to www.SedonaEye.com today.

 

Leave a Reply

Copyright © 2008-2017 · Sedona Eye · All Rights Reserved · Posts · Comments · Facebook · Twitter ·