swore in a short time ago they're wrapping up their field training so they'll be on the street by themselves um effective Sunday so um everything looks great um doing well in forward to having them on board with the rest of them um we are currently just about done screening two new new recruits they're looking to start the academy miday with a mid October graduation date um but even with field training that still doesn't put them on the street of you know you the GU the useful to the city of Garder until probably next January so they give you some perspective um budget's in decent shape um moving some money around the building's 9 years old we're starting to have some you know wear and tear issues and things like that so uh it's a couple of costly fixes this year HVAC and uh some other stuff going on uh my OT overtime is depleted um but I do have money in salary because I've been running short for so long so I've been shifting money around there so um but I have to keep a minimum Staffing level and have to honor collective bargaining agreements as well so uh that that's the cause of the Horizon overtime um senior citizens academy uh again very successful uh run by lieutenant John chowski started by uh deputy chief um it's been a fantastic program for us they're graduating March 27th uh another Junior Academy is plan again created by deputy chief uh that's all Grant funded U great program in the community it'll be we're looking at Mid July for that so we're looking for obviously local youth to be involved in that um we recently switched over to a new uh policy procedure rules and regulations delivery system um called Power DMS it uh helps us get our the policies out to the officers and know that they understood them and read them and and uh are are aware of them uh dispatch three new hires we lost two uh they started training on Monday so it's probably like a two or three month training period U it's dependent on how they retain the information and get themselves up and running so we're there uh Animal Control Officers Animal Control shelter um the truck is finally getting retrofitted that we have it's just taken a long time um this uh supply chain issues still in the uh vehicle uh portion of uh that we're at full staff and the animal control seems to be going well the shelter's down one attendant and we're in the process of hiring that right now as well so that's about it where I'm at questions yes um how many police do you have on the force we're currently at uh from top to bottom at 31 right now we're we're authorized for 33 um so these next two hires will bring us to full staff okay um is it is um I was meeting with one of the officers who said something about the it the cameras and stuff like that might need to be upgraded well what we're doing is we've been replac as cameras go down we've been replacing them um so again they're N9 years old they a lot of them were with the installation of the building um some of them are uh the the the system we use is a proprietary system so unfortunately everything we have to go through for software everything else is through this one company um it's extremely expensive um so we're we're we're doing our best to find alternatives to replace those um without having to go through the company because it's about three times the cost usually um so yeah we've been replacing them they're just starting to go down and I think it's just normal wear and tear but these are ptil Zoom cameras so they're not exactly cheap when we I think one of the prices we got was $5,000 to replace a camera from the company which seemed a little little absurd but um we end up replacing I think for U less than 2,000 but um but yeah we're it's it's just a wear and tear stuff the building h back is a is a constant issue um I we replac the pole the post caps on the front of the building cuz they were cracking and separating and and um it must have been just a faulty cap piece when they put it in it was a pre-cast didn't have rebaring or something and and as the water got in and froze it would just completely expand and we were afraid that it was going to collapse onto the sidewalk and obviously we couldn't have that for safety issues so yeah this just we're seeing some wear and tear wear and tear stuff with the building so um I I'm going to put on Capital Improvement for uh the top half of the building is stucko and um painted it's supposed to be painted the stuckle cracks are supposed to be filled we're looking at doing that but that's probably a major project I I I wouldn't even know what to put on a price tag for that but I'm going to guess it's pretty high thank you all right thanks next step is building morning councelors morning good morning all right so few updates uh this morning um the department in general is moving forward uh a little slower than I would like um but I'm just impatient so we are uh still trying to hire a second local inspector uh in order to um provide the uh proper services and protection to the city uh two inspectors at a minimum local inspectors are needed um in addition to the commissioner role we're exploring other avenues um Facebook advertising LinkedIn uh you know we're using the Mia we just haven't had any qualified candidates um apply for the job um to date um so we are we are still working working forward with that um budget looks pretty good um we're still in pretty good shape uh we have some salary Surplus that we are going to have to move around um City Hall maintenance continues to be uh a hurdle for us um the heating system is outdated we have some Capital Improvement items Roofing um front facade columns uh front entryway as well uh so those that's part of the cital Improvement but in general we're we're looking at you know 35 to 40% more than what we've had to spend in years past just to maintain City Hall in general so moving money around is is on the agenda um we are in the process of we've begun the process of lettering all the code enforcement vehicles uh we have decals and placards made up um DPW is making all the wording uh it's important when the individuals are out there the inspectors are out there that they're easily recognizable as to who they are within the city um so that's in the works phase one is done for that we're also in the process of uh properly upfitting the vehicles with um the required computers or tablets within the vehicles so they can better do their job out in the city um an inspection is is fine but if they have to now enter into into an enforcement change that hat and move into an enforcement rule um write reports um write tickets Etc it's easier for them to be able to do that while they're on on site um so we are in the process of that um open gov we now have more forms on open go than we ever have in the past so forms of intent so if somebody wants to know what they can do within the city they submit the form of intent they can do it right online um certificates of occupancy um periodic inspections all of that can be done online and we're adding more um as we move forward um so it's it's a system that works well for us as a city um 24 hours a day we can we can use it um individuals can apply for for permits um I think that's really um that's that's really about it I mean we have uh we're just kind of slowly plugging away um that's about all I got 40 folks today questions um no I don't have any questions thank you uh sure Five Star Auto we passed the application with the that you asked for sure that uh they're working towards compliance um Wilson kargo has retained uh attorney Graves to represent him um attorney Graves had been reaching out to myself and attorney flick um to date uh vilson kamaro has retained a an engineering firm to draft up appropriate plans um he has migrated parking onto um adjacent Parcels of land that uh without prior authorization so I believe he has documentation now signed from um adjacent parcel owners allowing him to use a portion of their land um but again that's uh billson kab had reached out to me directly but because he has retained attorney Graves has to be attorney to attorney communication um unless attorney Graves gives us you know something in writing that states he's no longer representing them and then he can work directly with me those cars that are behind with the veterans the veterans are lease that building across the street almost and there is a a large amount of cars back there now I noticed I'm are those his cars on which location right across I'm talking about the one in South Gardner okay okay um and that's the one that we had him the 119 Pearson yes okay and if you look across the street there's a building that I believe the veterans rent that building oh yes it used to be a diner there was a diner many there's a bunch of cars and I'm wondering whose cars are those are those his cars those I'm not sure of so I'm not aware of those of those vehicles I know for a brief period that they seem to be adding up yeah for a brief period that Veterans area was selling used vehicles uh but I don't know the full history of that that parcel okay um okay so obvious there's not too much you can get into on the bill yeah not not too much at this point um when attorney flick returns from vacation uh we plan on touch the base again um to see where to see where they are I do have a meeting with the engineer coming up next week um Who's d ing plans um that's permitted you know I can meet with meet with him and at least outline the regulations for for him as well um just so he's not spinning his wheels on what he's trying to do so more more to come on that one as as we unpack it a little bit right thank you all right thank you thank you Heth all right so I'll start with our prevention departments um we recently coordinated the vigil for BM Pennington um upcoming we have a few events coming the greater Gardener health and wellness fair is coming up on the 17th of April um we have 54 vendors signed up so far we're also planning the gardener high school health fair on April 24th um a paww walk fundraiser with gardener um at the end of April a golf tournament fundraiser with the AED Foundation coming up this weekend and we're going planning on implementing a project Redemption photo project with alysa's Place uh as well as Escape The Vape game changers and um participating in uh heel Gardener meetings um since the last meeting at the lill and transfer station the uh Le pump stations have been cleaned out uh and are now the pumps are now working properly um but it seems like we're going to need to do that cleaning more frequently to avoid where it got to this point um to keep those pumping properly and we're going to be upgrading the pumping system that goes into the waste water so we want those to be running clean um we performed one project for erosion control on a Le down channel on the northwest corner of the landfill um we recently got our Mass de reports which identified more areas of erosion on the south side of the landfill uh that are going to be needing repairs to keep in compliance with the uh Capp landfill regulations and um we're right now working on identifying the exact scope of that erosion and then we'll start working with contractors to get quotes to do that um we finished grinding of the the yard waste the wood and brush and trees um that got done this year it was last done in 2020 um our d report also identified two water sampling Wells that were damaged that need to be repaired um so one will likely need to be excavated the other one's just blocked and hopefully we can just clear that out um we're also looking into improving the conditions at the transfer station where residents drop off their truck trash so we've gotten a quote for some pre-cast concrete stairs to go to where they they go to dump the trash into the the bins uh I would also like to look into some like expanded metal stairs that might be better suited for that um for our Public Health we're still waiting on a schedule from the monachus public health network as far as vaccine clinic schedules for Staffing the inspector position has been mostly vacant since September we had somebody come try it out for about a month in January and they did not work out so um yesterday we actually interviewed an internal candidate and we're hoping to move forward with that um for housing we recently met with uh an Assistant Attorney General um from the neighborhood renewal project we looked at five different houses to see if they were suitable for receivership um they're currently looking at one of those houses that we inspected to see if they can get that into a receivership and back into the housing markets um the problem is that most of the homes we looked at were too far gone had too much damage to be considered um so we're going to keep identifying potential houses for that program and we'll keep referring those to them to see if you can get more houses uh back into the housing markets and then for food we've had uh no food born illness complaints uh routine inspections of all the food establishments are up and going and we are working on coordinating for the upcoming food truck festival so that's pretty much all my updates okay questions um yeah I just had a couple questions about the transfer station um is is there any plans or has there been any um hopes to uh build a build more of a building structure over there you know and um combined everything cuz right now like when I go there to drop off stuff I swear I'm in um in a Mad Max it looks like it's the ter over there and it's you know yeah so is there any thoughts plans or anything like that that you know I did add that to my budget request for the upcoming year uh as far as getting some additional money to build uh or at least get like a temporary not temporary but a better structure for where the uh attendance sits and then um getting an actual restroom facility instead of of the the porta potties and then they also have currently there's the only water out there is a spigot on the side of one of the sheds so they don't have any place to wash their hands or do anything like that so I I did include all of that in my budget requests and I'm going to be working on getting all the quotes and just looking into everything to try and get that moving forward so um we are going to temporarily at least move the attendant shed a little bit away from that uh pond that's kind of perennially there uh cuz that's definitely not a good situation but I do I do want to get some major improvements to the facilities out there I was just hoping for that right there cuz yeah yeah um I know that the I don't know what to exactly I'm call them but the the service guy that's works there when I going to go check it in he's a guy that I I've known that I didn't know because he was all masked up like I said it was mad MK like but he um definitely knew my name and he started bringing up things that we uh we worked together in the past but his concern was the other gentleman that's been there for a long time MH who's agent and he's like you know something happens to him I wouldn't even know cuz I'm all the way over here he's all the way over there and then we have the Porta partty right here and then you got that long stream that comes in MD than everything else yeah yep we're uh we're trying to get some money to get that fixed for sure awesome awesome that is all thank you thank you thank you Chief tell us about your roof comtable all right okay okay um so I'll uh start up uh start off with a update on the Personnel situation which um is kind of been um talked about a little bit recently that we are currently fully staffed um which is definitely good news it's been a struggle to get there and to maintain it um so we recently had um two firefighters that um graduated the mass fire academy um recruit training program back in January um they were before the council in February to be sworn in um they had prior to going to the academy they um had completed all their field training which is kind of how the fire department does it we do the field training first and then they go to the academy um so once they graduate the academy they're immediately assigned to the to the front line um and then also in late January um we had a a fight that had resigned back in 2021 that returned um to work with us um that was uh Lorenzo Calderon um he he was also sworn in before the council um at the last meeting um and he joins his twin brother at the guy the fire department so they're both working here um and lenzo was a a great firefighter before he left to pursue other career options and we you know we welcomed the back fully trained all the certifications were in place so he was able to go right back onto the line um we do have uh one um additional probationary firefighter who was hired in September um who was scheduled to start the academy um in late October his military reserve unit ended up getting deployed um so he had to defer his um his assignment to the fire Academy um so once once he returns from his deployment um he will be put right in the academy um he had completed his field training with us prior to that so once he's back and completes the the 10we academy he'll be able to be assigned um to the line um so it is it is good news that you know at this point we're maintaining that full Staffing um it's just helping everything over there um a lot you know less overtime right now a lot less Force over time um it's definitely helping everybody um catch up on a lot of rest and everything that they've missed um rest in time with their families that they've missed over the last uh few years um with all the hours they've worked um with that being said the the budget projection um for the end of the year uh most accounts are in in good shape with the exception of um overtime both on the fire and ambulance side um we are projecting shortfalls in those um mainly due to the first half of the year um not being at full staff um and there will be some unused salary money that will be able to be transferred over to cover a lot of the deficit but I we are at this point anticipating um we will have to be looking for a free cash transfer before the end of the year to to cover those deficits um it's the the overall um amount that we're you know projecting spending before the end of the year is significantly less than last year which is good news um and the uh the transfer I don't really have a number at this point um but it should be similar to the the the request from last year which was somewhere in the $50,000 range if I recall correctly um uh on the as as far as grants go um we were uh we received the Massachusetts firefighter safety equipment Grant uh the fiscal year 2024 grant program um we were awarded $119,000 uh which was the maximum allowed amount um of the award based on population um the equipment uh was ordered and is has started to be arrived um and placed in in service uh most of the equipment is replacing older equipment that had to be taken out of service due to damage um and most of it was beyond the point of repair either parts were not available or the cost of repairing this equipment was beyond the value of it um and the other uh item that we got with this grant is a um a radio and and intercom headset system which is designed to help Fighters communicate better in the noisy environments that we have on scenes around trucks um a lot of The Operators of the trucks have trouble hearing the radio when they just have a lapel microphone so this headset system it's a wireless headset system that works off the truck radio um this way the the firefighters operating the vehicles will be able to communicate with each other and hear radio communication much better um right now we haven't installed it on the vehicle we're kind of us using it um portable and we've been using it at training events this week and the feedback has been very good that it's working excellent and even just for training where an instructor um can talk to the firefighter that's getting the training they can they don't have to yell over the over the trucks so it's the feedback has been great they said it's working very good um so I think that's that's a good investment um the the full list of the equipment that um we received on the grant was um four lifting airbags which are um High Press airbags that are used to to lift heavy items like vehicles or other um in a building collapse or something like that to lift something where someone's trapped um the set that we had had expired um was out of out of date and we did have one of them that prior to that actually f during a training event which is obviously not something um that is that is good so once uh once that happened we took those out of out of service and we now have the new ones on order um to to replace those uh we also received a battery powered Pro positive pressure ventilation fan which will replace an old gasoline powered one that that the motor had failed um and obviously having it battery powered it's portable you don't need cords you need gasoline um and you're not introducing any additional fumes like carbon monoxide or anything into a building um so the battery powered units are a new new technology and they they really help um we also received some battery powered scen lights um cold water ice water rescue suits um two hydrant gate valves that had uh we had two that had failed um some pipe poles for um f ventilation purposes um and the headset system um onto the uh the FEMA afg Grant um the assistance to Firefighters Grant uh last year we had applied for um new portable radios and that Grant was not successful it was not awarded um so the application period for FY 23 program um opened in um February and is now closed and and I submitted the application again for um new portable radios uh the current radios we're using are 15 years old um we've had to take um a couple of them two of them now I believe out of service permanently because they're beyond their service life the manufacturer has discontinued the model does not support them anymore the techn the parts are not available um so this the numbers are starting to dwindle if we lose any more um it's going to become an issue um and um hopefully you know we can we can secure this funding it's the application for 40 radios was $366,000 um they're extremely expensive um they are um both heat and water resistant which the current ones are not um which is obviously a concern for firefighters operating um you know in inside of a building fire and we're in water all the time and um that's an issue so um hopefully um this year uh we can get the grant um I did speak with one of the regional Grant Specialists that um uh he's an FEMA employee but they assist you with uh preparing your your Grant application um and he did give me some statistics that only about 18 to 19% of all afg Grant application are awarded so it's less than one in five um that gets awarded and over the years Garder has done extremely well with them we received um a new engine in 2017 um we received a washer dryer um a heavy duty one for the cleaning firefighters gear before that um in 2020 we received the SCBA grant for the self-contained breathing apparatus and then after that we received the the grant to replace the fire lamp system at fire headquarters so we've done very well over the last 10 years with this grant program so I think we're above that percentage um of the 18 to 19% Awards but um hopefully this year this one will will be awarded it's a it's something really that's becoming almost to the critical point of needing to replace these um so I'm hoping for POS for a posit a welcome on that grand award um on the fleet side of things uh the new Fire Apparatus that was ordered with arpa funds um about two years ago uh all three units are now well into into production um the ambulance um is scheduled for delivery here in early May um which we desperately need um and the new engine and heavy rescue um they're both scheduled for delivery in July um after that each one of those units will have to have final equipment mounting radio installation and then the firefighters will have to train on them and they'll go in service um and the new towel ladder um we've completed the preliminary specification um the the apparatus committee after um extensive research decided to go with a the same manufacturer and model that we currently have which is an E1 um it's a 95 ft rearmount Tower ladder um they evaluated other designs and manufacturers and they kind of said this one is what best fits our needs so it's it's going to be a very similar truck to the current one um and right now we're reviewing um the contract language and final specifications hopefully we'll have that signed shortly um and the anticipated delivery um range from this point once the contract signed um it hasn't improved from what they were telling us um initially and now they're saying 24 to 30 months of course they're saying that's based on Parts availability and everything else so um it's a little bit better than expected on on delivery time um as um you're probably all aware we had uh a major um damage to the roof at fire headquarters during uh the Windstorm on February 29th um we have done completed temporary repairs to the roof uh it is weathertight at this point so um at least we're stabilized there um and um the city's insurance company Maya um has assigned an adjusted to the case um they're evaluating the damage um and the process moving forward um it looks like there's going to be a a sizable Insurance claim for that um so and and hopefully it's it's going to be done um in a a better time frame than we were planning on earlier so we'll see how that goes um and uh I know we're a little bit into this year but um uh 2023 again was a a very busy year for the fire department um we we responded to 5,698 Total emergency calls in the year uh that's the second highest total on record um I believe it was 20 2018 was the only year that was higher than that um I will attach a breakdown to that incident report um when I submit the my my report here to the clerk um and the fire department ambulance during that same year made 2,816 patient contacts and transported 2,21 patients to area hospitals all I have any questions um I just have a comment I should have said it um to the chief as well um I was I'm trying to think of a way to say this but um last week I think it was last week I was in uh one of the one of the supermarkets I work in them and um a gentleman had a heart attack and you guys reacted really quick um and you know there's a certain amount of space you know obviously you can have went over so I couldn't see who it was um yesterday I found out that I knew who the person was and um they're doing a lot better so I just want to say thank you and um you know I know the family was saying that if you guys weren't there along with the woods um if you guys weren't there that he wouldn't have made it so you know he had a heart attack I think he fell hit his head and then um you know it didn't look good from where I was I took off cuz I didn't see anything but um you know the family thanks you so I just want to go ahead and let you guys know that um and again I was just made aware that I knew the gentleman yesterday so um but um other than that um being fully staffed um do you think I know you said that uh the overtime is going to go down right is that going to affect the those firefighters that were relying on me overtime I know that's a weird question to ask ask for it well and I mean if you're looking at the bottom line of you know what they're taking home every year yeah yes obviously it is yeah um and you know there's a balancing act between um how many hours are too many hours um and how it affects um you know their their family life their their morale their Health um so yeah it's it's a hard question to answer really yeah I I just think that um obviously there always Family First us right um so you know it there's definitely that balance like you're saying and everything else um and obviously when you're working too many hours work quality goes down whether we speak about it or not you're not really like you would be if you were you know um so I just wanted to ask that question right there and you know is is right now is there are negotiations going on right now is that happening the the fire Union is in negotiations now yes all right how is that going let me asking and a nutshell yeah I honestly I don't I'm I'm not directly involved in that part of it um I understand they have at least a couple times um with the mayor yeah um that's really all I can tell you know um you know obviously um I support anything the city can do to you know financially help and all the employees in the city and you know it's it's been difficult with the inflation and everything else that's happened in the world over the last few years um and you know everybody's I think everybody's hurting and you know needs needs more in their paycheck but no I agree I um I just feel like you know the Departments are are a safe net you know you guys make us feel comfortable so I just hope that everything goes well for everyone in the situation so that is all thank you that no no questions thank you thank Chief good all right mov on to ordinances we have item 11203 everyy chief for bearing with us yeah so the traffic commission we had voted um to put forward to you folks um some amendments to the city ordinances on uh limited parking and handicap parking to adopt the two handicap spots that are on Central Street that go around Monument Park we just had to have those put into city ordinance because they weren't they were put in as part of the project and and uh to to be compatible with federal laws and stuff that's where they ended up going we just said it has to be in city ordinance to make sure that they're permanent and that the city adopts where those spots are um and we had voted on that in our traffic commission meeting and I just to put forward to you guys and then put forward to city council to uh to amend that that ordinance questions no questions uh any motion showes a motion to uh send this uh to full Council as presented and voting on by comme second I'm recomendation by councel and second by councelor Heath to recommend sending first printing uh all in favor I I oppos carries 11204 nor amend city of garden chapter 600 V traffic section 24 parking streets Ed street from Elm Street to Lawrence Street yeah same thing we had looked at some complaints we've had there uh some restrictions on maybe getting emergency vehicles so eliminating parking on one side of the road uh was what we had recommended in the commission meeting and voted on it to send it Forward questions no no motions motion to send this to first printing uh to the full Council as presented and voted on by the Safety Committee second by councelor Harden second by councelor Heath to recommend sending the ordinance to first printing all in favor I opposed 11205 an ordinance to amend that the code at City Garder chapter 600 vehicle cont caft section 24 in parking Park Street from Cottage Street to Central Street so this was also part of the renovations that they did to Monument Park so they if you notice they did eliminate parking on that side of Park Street as your headed toward Central uh so we just need to have that put in ordinance as part of the plans uh just like with the um the handicap spots questions no motions I'll make a motion to send it to first printing um to the F Council has presented and voted on by the safety commit second motion by Council harder and second by counselor Heath to recommend sending the ordinance first printing all in favor I post passes it 11206 ear to amend code of city g chle v traffic 24 parking prohibited Pine Street from West Lind Street southerly for a distance of 50 ft also traffic commission looked at this if you go up West slid on the library side if you try to make a right hand turn or a left-and turn it's 15 ft no parking so that first parking spot is 15 ft away so you can't see cars actually almost got hit the other day you can't see cars coming up uh Pine Street headed to Central Street um so we wanted to eliminate those parking one of those parking spots and extend it from 15 ft to 50 ft just to give the motoring public more of a clear view of vehicles coming to avoid any type of accidents U we also have an elderly assisted living facility there uh that crosswalks and so it's important we have good visual of cars coming and and we can see people as well so we had voted on that to send that forward to you folks questions no NOS make a motion to send it to first printing to the full Council as presented and voted on by the safety committees second motion by councel and second by councelor Heath to recommend sending the ordinance first printing all in favor I opposed carries um thank you thank you too any new business none motion to journ second second sorry motion by counselor he second by counc Harden to adjourn all in favor I I oppose motion carries adjourn thank you everyone thank you see you in a little bit yes w