The Milan News-Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Fire board may take over maintenance
Inspection report cites several code violations at fire hall
By Michelle Rogers, Editor
PUBLISHED: March 27, 2008
The city of Milan and the executive committee overseeing the Milan Area Fire Board are considering a proposal in which the fire board would take over maintenance of the fire hall as part of a new lease agreement with the city.
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The board voted March 20 to pay the city $4,000 a year to lease the facility and assume responsibility for maintenance, which Milan Mayor Kym Muckler estimated would be $3,000 to $4,000 per year. Under the current lease agreement with the city, the fire department is paying $17,811 a year for the building on Wabash Street, which the city is expected to maintain.
It doesn't appear, however, that the city has maintained the building very well, and the fire board has stated it won't be held responsible for repairs documented on an inspection report issued March 11 by the York Township Building Department.
Thomas Toth, the York Township building official who conducted the inspection Feb. 29 along with electrical, plumbing and mechanical inspectors, cited a number of building code violations at the fire hall.
The fire board was most concerned with the roof, which, according to the report, leaks in different areas, and agreed the city is responsible for fixing it. The board agreed all other items on the list are negotiable.
Other items include exhaust fans not working in the restrooms; urinal drain not discharging or draining properly in the locker room; sewage ejector sump appears to be leaking sewage onto the basement floor; stairs to sump pit and water service not to code; stair handrail not to code; and floor joists not supported properly in the storage area above the electrical room and could fail.
The board plans to add a line item in its operating budget for maintenance of the building.
Board Chairman Dave Wittkop, who represents Milan Township on the board, said an environmental survey of the property should be completed before the fire board takes over maintenance costs. He expressed some concerns because the site used to be home to a car dealership and gas station.
Brent Moyer, a Milan City Council trustee serving on the board, said he would ask the City Council to consider it.
Some board members said they thought because the city still owns the building, the city would be responsible for any past contamination or hazardous materials, and the board would be responsible for any incident after it took over maintenance of the building.
The board has asked its attorney to revise the lease agreement by its April 17 meeting so it can be voted on. Each board member, representing York, London and Milan townships and the city of Milan, will need to get approval from his or her municipal board before the lease can be finalized.
The question of which entity should be responsible for the maintenance of the facility has been a point of contention between the fire board and the city since the operating agreement and rental contract expired at the end of last June. The fire department has rented the building on a month-to-month basis for more than eight months.
In that time, the city has been negotiating hard with the fire board to either share the costs of maintenance with the townships or to raise the lease rate to full market value, which some estimates put at more than $30,000, to cover maintenance costs.
The city currently pays about 42 percent of the fire department's budget, compared to York's 21 percent, Milan's 18 percent and London's 15 percent.
Also at the meeting, the board discovered that both the city of Milan and the fire board had been insuring the building. As a renter, the fire board is only responsible for insuring the building's contents.
The dual coverage has been in place since 1999, according to board discussions March 20. Wittkop said the board could get a portion of its premium back if it could prove it either never asked for the additional coverage or canceled it.
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