Town of Carver Review of Proposed Plan for Fire and Police Facilities November 12, 2013 EDWARD J. COLLINS CENTER FOR PUBLIC MANAGEMENT

Methodology ▸ Conducted interviews: ▸ Building Studies Committee ▸ Fire Chief ▸ Police Chief ▸ Treasurer ▸ Financial Advisor ▸ Review documentation: ▸ Building and site plans ▸ Presentations on existing conditions ▸ Cost estimates ▸ Debt service schedules ▸ Tours of Fire Station, Police Station, potential sites

Study Components ▸ Siting of facilities ▸ Funding plan ▸ Recommendations

Siting Plan ▸ Build new Fire Station and Fire Training Center at 99 Main Street. ▸ Demolish existing Fire Station and build new front section for use by police at 112 Main Street. ▸ Renovate rear part of building to complete the Police Station.

Siting Findings ▸ Current facilities do not meet needs of modern fire or police departments. Findings include: ▸ Apparatus bays and storage areas at the Central Fire Station were not built for the fire trucks and firefighting equipment commonly in use today. ▸ The Central Fire Station does not meet the current operating needs of the Department. ▸ The existing firefighter Training Center is an important element to the Department’s operation and helps ensure that Carver firefighters are highly trained.

Siting Findings (continued) ▸ The layout of the existing Police Station is substandard and the building is poorly maintained. ▸ Neither Police Station nor Fire Station provide climate- controlled storage for servers and other electronic equipment, likely reducing usable lifetime and potentially resulting in loss of important data. ▸ Spaces that could be reasonably accessed by members of the public and non-sworn staff are not ADA compliant.

Siting Findings (continued) ▸ 99 Main Street offers best available location for new Fire Station / Training Facility and existing site at 112 Main Street for Police Station. Findings include: ▸ Existing site very small for Fire Department and would require interim location for police and fire departments; will continue to conflict with adjacent uses; ▸ Center Street property constrained by Town wells; visibility issues at likely ingress and egress point; ▸ Other Town-owned properties are either too small, too wet, located off of the Main Street N-S spine, or used for public park

Siting Recommendations ▸ During design, consider the need for proposed community room / training room on first floor of new Fire Station. ▸ Consider location of spaces for bedrooms and bathrooms for firefighters to ensure reasonable privacy. ▸ Consider long term staffing needs of Police Department. ▸ Make some modest, short term improvements in Police Station.

Funding Background ▸ Cost Estimates: ▸ Fire Station -$8,169,700 ▸ Fire Training Center - $578,000 ▸ Police Station -$7,510,000 (FY2017 start) ▸ Existing debt for Town Hall and Library will be paid in FY2017 ▸ Since 2011, Town has increasingly added funds from the tax levy to the Capital Building Stabilization Fund (CBSF)

Funding Plan ▸ Continue appropriations to the Capital Buildings Stabilization Fund to pay for future debt service: ▸ $400,000 plus 2 ½% annually ▸ Additional allocation from new growth taxes added to base ▸ Appropriate drop off in town hall/library debt payment

Funding Findings ▸ Capital Building Stabilization Fund balance as of July 1, 2013 is $580,001, with $400,000 appropriated at past town meeting ▸ Beginning allocation of $55,688 of new growth taxes based on 13 year average is conservative ▸ Town Hall/Library debt drops from $278,561 in FY2014 to $0 in FY2018 ▸ Annual debt service for Fire/Police facilities peaks at between $1.1 to $1.3 million in FY2019 with 25 year example ▸ Utilization of CBSF appropriations covers debt while building balance for future use ▸ Z

Funding Recommendations ▸ FY2015 annual town meeting appropriate approximately $476,800 to CBSF for future debt service payments ▸ Future town meetings increase appropriations to CBSF based on funding model- requires 2/3 vote ▸ Future town meetings appropriate funds from the CBSF to debt service account equal to debt service costs for Fire and Police facilities– requires 2/3 vote

Conclusions ▸ The Collins Center finds that: ▸ Proposed siting plan for the fire and police facilities represents best option available to meet department needs. ▸ Debt service could be covered via proposed funding strategy while maintaining conservative capacity for other operating budget needs.