By William Murphy
Newsday (New York)
Copyright 2006 Newsday, Inc.
The failure of the City of Long Beach to do routine building maintenance has left a relatively modern firehouse in need of a $2.5-million overhaul, according to an engineer’s report and city officials.
Walls, ceilings and floors have been warped and cracked by water leaks; light fixtures in utility closets no longer work; and there are no records that the rooftop heating and cooling system was serviced during the past 25 years, according to the report by Cameron Engineering.
The three heating units hanging from the ceiling above the fire engines were broken last winter and water in the reserve tanks of the engines froze three times, the report said.
Volunteer firefighters have been barred since May from staying in the firehouse between runs because of air problems caused by mold. And the report said a roof put on five years ago to fix earlier leaks was improperly installed.
Edwin Eaton, who became city manager in June, said he already has sent a memo to the City Council urging that a building maintenance supervisor be hired to monitor the mechanical system at City Hall, the city’s Martin Luther King Center, its two free-standing firehouses and other city facilities.
City Councilman James Hennessy, a Republican, said that he ordered the report while his party briefly held control of the council in 2004 and 2005. Democrats, who had control for 31 years before that, regained control this past January.
Meanwhile, the City Council is divided on how to finance long-term maintenance needs, and a proposal for a $15-million bond issue died recently.
Hennessy and his Democratic ally, Councilman Thomas Sofield Jr., objected to the size of the bond issue, and said more of the work should be done from surplus funds and the operating budget.
Since bond issues require a super majority of four votes on the five-member council, it did not pass. Eaton said he would rework the numbers and give the council a smaller bond issue with fewer projects that it will take up next month.
The city had a building supervisor assigned to monitor city buildings until 1999, about the time Eaton ended his first stint as city manager, but the position had been eliminated, he said.
Eaton, who was hired again by the Democratic majority four months ago, said it would be difficult to argue for spending more money on major upgrades before ensuring routine maintenance was performed.
“It will be costly to hire a building supervisor, but it will be costly in the long run if we do not keep these facilities in a state of good repair,” Eaton said.
The two-story firehouse on Beech Street and Indiana Avenue, staffed by volunteers, was completed in 1981 and a passerby would have little indication, save a few cracks in the brickwork, to indicate the disrepair inside.
The consultant’s report, finished last October, concluded that: “In general, all building problems are neglected due to lack of maintenance.”
The cost of the repairs was estimated at $1.64 million at the time the report was completed, but further deterioration during this past winter has pushed the cost to $2.5 million, Eaton said.
The work will include the installation of a fire alarm system, which was required by law at the time the building was erected, but somehow never was installed, the report said.
Firehouse and the estimated cost to repair them
PROBLEM COST
Access ladder to roof rusted $4,500
No disconnect switches for roof exhaust fans $15,000
Roof leaking $72,000
Antiquated heating/ ventilation system $150,000
Window and door seals deteriorated $60,000
Damaged brick veneer to entire building $15,000
Sink in janitor’s closet has no hose to fill buckets $75
Incandescent exit lights old $3,000
No security alarm system $4,000
Emergency generator near end of its useful life $40,000
Source: Cameron Engineering & Associates Llp.; Frank G. Relf, architect.