From the Eagle Tribune;
July 15, 2011
Atkinson projects behind schedule
By Cara Hogan
chogan@eagletribune.com
ATKINSON — Work on two town building projects has been delayed.
One involves repairing a leaky roof at the fire station; the other is the removal of asbestos at the police station.
Selectman Fred Childs said work should start soon at the two stations, both located on Academy Avenue.
"The Fire Department is going to be painted and we're trying to decide whether to make repairs or replace the whole roof," he said.
Voters approved $46,000 for the roof, Fire Chief Michael Murphy said. But there's no final deal with a contractor, so nothing has started.
That prompted Murphy to send a letter to selectmen this week.
"I asked selectmen what the status is moving forward," he said. "I wanted to prompt them to find out where we stand and when work will start. I'm getting tired of seeing the damage."
Murphy said the leaky roof has caused minor damage to wallboard, ceiling tiles and paint. The building is only 10 years old. "People are pointing fingers left and right and there's no recourse," he said. "This has been going on for the past few years. The bottom line is the roof needs to be repaired. This is the time of year to be doing work on a roof."
Childs said scheduling problems have delayed the project.
"We've been getting prices for it," he said. "But (Selectman William) Bennett has missed a couple of meetings and (Selectman William) Friel, too. We haven't really all been together the last couple of months. But it's still in the works."
Murphy said he knows selectmen are busy, but wants to make sure the work starts this summer. "I don't believe any construction would interfere with the department," he said. "It's all roof work, not interior work. I'm sure we could manage with the contractor."
Repairs at the police station are also behind schedule.
"At the Police Department, we're changing all the air conditioning vents and putting a whole new ceiling in," Childs said. "There was some asbestos residue in there. Instead of cleaning that out, we're just replacing it. That should be done by next weekend."
It will cost about $4,000 for the new ceiling and vents as the town makes sure the air quality is safe for employees. Detective Sgt. Philip Farrar said the work at the station had been scheduled and then rescheduled.
"There is no work going on at this point," he said. "They were supposed to come in and take the ceiling down last weekend, but now they're saying this weekend. I'm really not sure what's going on."
Childs said the town had a contractor, but then found a better deal, causing the delay.
Friel knew someone who could do it a lot cheaper, but because it was a holiday weekend, he couldn't do it right away," Childs said. "Now, they're making sure it's being done right. I know they're anxious to get it done, but we are going to do it. We haven't been overlooking it, things don't happen at the snap of a finger sometimes."
Childs said there are many projects in town right now, including painting the Historical Society and making repairs to the Community Center.
Atkinson Town Hall
The Norman Rockwellian picture of Atkinson
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47 comments:
Forget the building repairs. Pay MRI to repair APD and get the town healthy again.
MO
Hey B.O.S. have you stopped by Hilltop Cattle farm with warm wishes for the chief? Did you bring him something nice? Maybe a fruitbasket, a box of chocolates or maybe something better like a letter,,,,please tell us? Inquiring minds want to know.
asbestos in ductwork how long has bos known about this and not told anybody did this go out to bid or are we having friels gus do the job
I hear Friel's boys are doing it, maybe it 's the same company that took a couple years to hook up the generator. Bid? What are you kidding the BOS doesnt have to do bids.
Asbestos, hmm can you spell lawsuit? Big secret only Mr Smith and the BO(Y)S knew about it. How long has asbestos been infecting the boys(Girls) in blue? Should someone call Mrs Lapham?
Bids? what? Why waste time when we can have it all screwed up anyway, and for a lower price?
Good point, the Atkinson Academy has been going there for years.should all those children be concerned now? Should every officer who works there be concerned? If it were a school the building would have been immediately shut down; heck, they are only open maybe 5 hrs a day anyway so why not outsource to Plaistow until this gets fixed. NOBODY should be in that building.... And if I worked there daily I would sue for bos knowingly putting me in danger harming my life. Terrible.
SALEM, N.H. — Possible cuts in town government and even employee layoffs became more apparent last night as selectmen debated whether millions of dollars in road improvements should come at the cost of other services.
By the time their meeting ended after more than three and a half hours, selectmen decided there was no way residents could afford the same tax rate as this year. But at the same time, they agreed the town needed to undertake the more expensive of two road plans despite the higher cost and potential cuts.
"I think that is the bottom line — I think we have to make some cuts," Chairwoman Elizabeth Roth said.
Roth backed a surprise proposal by Selectman Michael Lyons to recommend Town Manager Keith Hickey craft a budget plan funded through a town tax rate of $5.98 per $1,000 valuation.
While his colleagues said they needed more information before making a recommendation, Lyons said the time was right to make a decision.
"We need to start picking some numbers and start moving," he said. But his proposal failed, 3-2, before Roth told Hickey to come back with a plan funded through a municipal tax rate of $5.40. That was the same amount approved by selectmen before voters increased the figure by 48 cents at the second deliberative session in March.
Vice Chairwoman Susan Covey and fellow Selectmen Pat Hargreaves and Stephen Campbell opposed the $5.98 rate. The proposal included a 10-year road plan that cost a maximum of $5.2 million per year to repair streets they said many of their constituents have complained are inadequate and unsafe.
Before the budget debate, a handful of residents told selectmen they needed to invest in the town's infrastructure, especially its roads, to make Salem a desirable place to live, work and visit.
"I think we need to keep investing in our future," said Sherry Kilgus-Kramer of Surrey Lane. "Cutting to remove things that add value to our community doesn't make sense."
Laurel Redden of Hall Avenue agreed.
"It is time for this town to take a look at itself," she said. "It is the 'Gateway to New Hampshire."'
Outlining the 10-year plan for road improvements, Engineering Director Robert Puff recommended the town adopt the more expensive proposal to avoid serious problems in the future.
Hickey explained how Salem must fund soaring town employee health and retirement costs.
Throughout the meeting, Campbell told fellow selectmen that residents cannot afford another tax increase in troubled economic times. Especially a 16 percent increase over two years, he said. The 2010 rate was $5.15.
"We have to find a way to keep the tax rate favorable," he said. "Who is getting 8 percent (pay) increases? Why should taxes go up 8 percent a year on average?"
Asbestos fibers cause lung cancer, sometimes 10-15 years after one fiber was possibly inhaled. Should be removed or encapsulated by a certified professional. Any one else doing the removal is putting you at great risk. The building should be vacant for removal. Mr. Friel is a builder and has made this decision at his risk. If anyone is concerned check with DES, you also need a permit from them to remove asbestos. SERIOUS STUFF!
Who is doing the work?
generator still not working how come bos said 10-15 thousand to do the work and friels guys doing it for 4 thousand?????????
Friel is the BOS! Any work hired in by him is a conflict of interest. Maybe he is giving his live in brother-in-law work he doesn't know how to do. Nice Job Friel!
How does this differ from a town employee, you can't work for the town and be an official. Is Friel getting work for his suffering business. Conflict of Interest.
I'm taking bets after "fast feddie "childs made the blunder in the Tribune that there won't be much construction going on at APD in the near future. "broadway bill" friel will be too busy scrambiling for the proper paperwork for asbestos removal.
Did anyone read this definition of asbestos removal: Asbestos is a dangerous carcinogen. Asbestos exposure may cause mesothelioma and lung cancer. Asbestos poses the greatest danger when it becomes airborne. Demolishing, repairing, or just disturbing suspect materials may cause the asbestos fibers to dislodge and release into the air. The following are some of the common asbestos containing materials that might be found in your home: acoustic ceilng spray, floor tiles, linoleum, insulation, drywall/joint compound, exterior stucco, roofing, etc. (see this page). Thus before you disturb any material you suspect might contain asbestos, it would be a good idea to have a sample of that material tested by a qualified laboratory. Our fully-accredited laboratory provides fast and confidential testing.
I can picture Friel's band of illegal immigrants ripping the PD apart and the dust flying all over the place. Meanwhile Mr Bill will be driving around the town chatting on his phone, probably to nobody, but it makes it easier not to wave.
Friel/Obama- hope and change
NOT
I thought he'd do the right thing. It turned out to be a lot of lip service. He fooled me. My mistake. When you kiss Phils ring you're on the dark side.
many people read the blog
in July it is time to cookout and party. Lazy days of summer. Can't get excited about much. Yawn. I want to go to a jazz festival.
another friel project like east rd bringing in 3-4 contractor buddies 1 crew friday/$4000.00 1 crew sat $4000.00 1 crew sun $4000.00 getting around going out to bid. no permit no inspection no supervision keep the chief get rid of bos
How about Friel's illegal house, taller than code, four finished levels. Who did he pay off to get that approved?
Anyone know what time the construction/destruction is starting at the PD??????
Lot of heat on Mr Friel from APD. They be mad! Must be rude to have MRI looking under the mattress and up the chimney to improve our police department so they can better serve our community.
Yeah I agree. Mr Friel's ceilings are too high. He should be ordered to tear the house down. ZBA get busy! Oh, I forgot, the MO-RON RING KISSER resigned.
How sad.
MO
I do'nt understand, what work in Friel being paid to do for the town. He should step aside if he is excepting work that he is paid for. This should go to the AG's office for review.
No one mentions the source of the asbestos.
If asbestos is still present on old pipes it will continue to be a problem. If the source is gone, then cleanup makes sense, otherwise it really makes no sense to put in a new ceiling and vents. If the source of the asbestos has already been removed then why haven't we heard about this before and who removed it?
I think this is just a ploy like the tower and they just want new ceilings or A/C.
Hilltop Cattle Farm, what a joke. Who would keep a horse in their front yard?
Farm or tax dodge? With some chickens and a pig you can get a big deduction from the Atkinson tax assessor for a farm. Or does it take a horse. How many tax dodging farms in Atkinson. Hmmmm. I want to be a political hack too so I can get a farm deduction.
Friel's house? He should get some pigs over there or put chickens up there. High ceilings...best roosting place in town. Can sell the eggs. Then get that BIG BIG BIG Atk..kiss..asskinson tax deduction. GO FOR IT!
There's no such thing as a farm deduction in NH. There's a current use deduction for undeveloped open space, but you don't need livetock for that. Just land and benign neglect.
heard ductwork on hold state des told them to have building tested first
town approved money for new roof on fire station now friel is talking about repairing and not replacing it what will he do with the extra money
use it for legal fees.
where is our code of etics commisson
chiefo biggum heado put them outta business last year.
bill f selectman and assistant healh inspector??? his wife on cemetary trusee board
its all most august no work on kimball house ,fire station,and pd bill f just to busy why dont they just put jobs out to bid and get going
Take some english classes.
time for the bos to resign or be impeached
work started on kimball house today bunch of illegals working in an unmarked van must be friels guys any one know what it is costing did not see it go out to bid
kimball house repairs put ahead of air quality at pd now we have to deal with lead paint issues at kimball house bos better be carefull big fines if not delt with right
friel said getting 8 or 9 contractors to do work on kimball house also stated lead pain on building but work still going on with no protection, how come the town does not need a building permit for any work on there buildings and who inspects it
good thing we have hazmat trailer next door to kimball house to deal with lead paint disaster
work on fire station roof still not started are we waiting for winter,3 differant contractors to work on air quality at pd going to take 4 days and friel getting this done for $4000.labor and materials,sounds fishy to me what is the real cost
fred sick, friel out of town(gone to mexico to find workers)big bill b running town by himself, but cant vote on anything keep the chief get rid of BOS
still no work being done matbe waiting for winter when friels guys are slow
what were the results of the lead paint test on the kimball house and what did the state des have to say
what is bos waiting for to get these projects done
you need a hobby
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