Saturday, March 7, 2009
A Voting Note
Due to the water damage at the Gilford Middle School, the voting on March 10th has been moved next door to the Gilford High School gymnasium.
A Reminder:
MARCH 10, 2009
VOTE YES on ARTICLE# 9
Gilford Police Facility Addition/Renovation
We've Listened: The new Facilities Planning Committee listened to the voters of Gilford and has identified the specific needs of our Police Department to improve their existing cramped quarters with an energy efficient addition/renovation!
- Endorsed by: Board of Selectmen, Budget Committee, Energy Committee, Planning Board, and Gilford Taxpayers Association.
- Resolves safety, space, and liability issues for next 20+ years.
- Compliance with National Police Standards.
- Additional town meeting space - similar to current meeting room.
- Low and Fixed project costs - $1.58 million.
- NO tax increase year 2009-2010.
- Building bond costs are at all time low rates.
- Average cost per household - $1.46 per month.
- Planned as "green" - energy efficient.
Now is the time! - Support Article # 9
Friday, February 13, 2009
Police Station Proposal - Part V - Project Financing
This is the fifth in a series of posts covering the proposed Gilford Police Station Addition and Renovation.
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One of the many comments we've heard again and again from fellow town residents is their concerns about the extra burden the bond for the police station will place on the taxpayers in the town, particularly in light of the tough economic times we're dealing with at present. There was also an excellent question asked at the town deliberative session that bears repeating here.
Project cost and financing of the project:
A number of folks have a misconception about the financing and the effects of the proposed bond on the tax rate.
First, we must emphasize the proposed bond will have no effect on the tax rate for the upcoming 2009-2010 fiscal year. None. The town will not start making payments on the bond until the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
Second, a school system bond for energy improvements will be retired at the same time, meaning the police station bond may have little effect on the overall total tax rate (town and school combined) for the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
Third, the reason for the split between the bond and money from undesignated surplus funds balance was to avoid financing monies used for certain customer costs and contingencies. It was felt by the Board of Selectmen that financing money that may not be needed (contingencies) would not be a good deal for Gilford taxpayers. Also, in order to lessen the size of the bond, it was felt some of the customer costs should also be paid out of the same fund rather than financed.
The total proposed bond is $1.2 million. $380,000 will come from the undesignated funds balance.
Meeting rooms:
One Gilford voter asked why the project included the new meeting rooms. She didn't know if tax money should be spent for that purpose.
It isn't that there will be 'new' meetings per se. Instead, the meeting rooms are actually being relocated from the basement of the existing police station basement.
In the lower level (basement), directly below the location of the new meeting rooms is the space presently used by the police department for meetings and training sessions. This room cannot be used by the public because it is located inside the secured section of the police station. Due to liabilities and the need to have a police officer present should that room be used by the pubic, the police department and the FPC felt it would be prudent to move that room to the first floor, thereby making the space in the basement available for evidence storage. Since the meeting room(s) would now be located outside the secured section of the station, it would be available for use by the public when the department isn't using it.
It's more 'bang for the buck' for the taxpayers, freeing up space for public use that would otherwise sit empty when not being used by the police department.
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One of the many comments we've heard again and again from fellow town residents is their concerns about the extra burden the bond for the police station will place on the taxpayers in the town, particularly in light of the tough economic times we're dealing with at present. There was also an excellent question asked at the town deliberative session that bears repeating here.Project cost and financing of the project:
A number of folks have a misconception about the financing and the effects of the proposed bond on the tax rate.
First, we must emphasize the proposed bond will have no effect on the tax rate for the upcoming 2009-2010 fiscal year. None. The town will not start making payments on the bond until the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
Second, a school system bond for energy improvements will be retired at the same time, meaning the police station bond may have little effect on the overall total tax rate (town and school combined) for the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
Third, the reason for the split between the bond and money from undesignated surplus funds balance was to avoid financing monies used for certain customer costs and contingencies. It was felt by the Board of Selectmen that financing money that may not be needed (contingencies) would not be a good deal for Gilford taxpayers. Also, in order to lessen the size of the bond, it was felt some of the customer costs should also be paid out of the same fund rather than financed.
The total proposed bond is $1.2 million. $380,000 will come from the undesignated funds balance.
Meeting rooms:
One Gilford voter asked why the project included the new meeting rooms. She didn't know if tax money should be spent for that purpose.
It isn't that there will be 'new' meetings per se. Instead, the meeting rooms are actually being relocated from the basement of the existing police station basement.
In the lower level (basement), directly below the location of the new meeting rooms is the space presently used by the police department for meetings and training sessions. This room cannot be used by the public because it is located inside the secured section of the police station. Due to liabilities and the need to have a police officer present should that room be used by the pubic, the police department and the FPC felt it would be prudent to move that room to the first floor, thereby making the space in the basement available for evidence storage. Since the meeting room(s) would now be located outside the secured section of the station, it would be available for use by the public when the department isn't using it.
It's more 'bang for the buck' for the taxpayers, freeing up space for public use that would otherwise sit empty when not being used by the police department.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Police Station Proposal - Part IV - Geothermal
This is the fourth in a series of posts covering the proposed Gilford Police Station Addition and Renovation.
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While the plans for the expanded police station show the use of geothermal heating and cooling, also called a ground-source heat pump system, not too many people are familiar with the concept or how it will be applied.
Such geothermal systems have been around for decades, and the concept has been around for almost a century. Basically stated, a geothermal heating/cooling system either draws heat from the ground to heat a building, or dumps heat into the ground to cool it. An excellent overview of geothermal systems can be found here, showing systems large and small.
Basic heating and cooling systems of the type presently used at the town hall/police station usually consist of a furnace (or three in this case), a circulating pump, an external air conditioning chiller (combination compressor and heat exchanger), heating/cooling registers (the heating/cooling/fan units in each room), and a water loop. Water heated by the furnaces or cooled by the chiller is circulated through the water loop, providing either hot or cold air from the register units, depending upon the season.
Geothermal systems replace the furnaces and the external air conditioning chiller with a well, a well pump, and a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger/compressor. There's no combustion needed to heat (meaning no heating oil, natural gas, or propane needed) and no big clunky, noisy, inefficient air conditioning condenser outside for cooling.
Because of the efficiency of geothermal systems, heating and cooling costs are considerably lower than conventional systems. A comparison of heating and cooling costs can be seen here. Though based on slightly outdated information (heating oil is assumed to cost $3/gallon, propane is assumed to cost $3.32/gallon) it isn't unreasonable to assume energy prices will be the same or higher by the time the police station addition and renovation is completed.
For a somewhat more in-depth look at geothermal heating and cooling systems, a presentation made to the New Hampshire State Employees Association by Water Energy this past December can be seen here (It's approximately 3.3MB in size). While it is aimed more at residential systems, the same principles and efficiencies apply to the police station addition and renovation.
If there are any questions about the proposed geothermal HVAC system for the police station, please feel free to use the comment system or e-mail us at the link under Contact Us.
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While the plans for the expanded police station show the use of geothermal heating and cooling, also called a ground-source heat pump system, not too many people are familiar with the concept or how it will be applied.Such geothermal systems have been around for decades, and the concept has been around for almost a century. Basically stated, a geothermal heating/cooling system either draws heat from the ground to heat a building, or dumps heat into the ground to cool it. An excellent overview of geothermal systems can be found here, showing systems large and small.
Basic heating and cooling systems of the type presently used at the town hall/police station usually consist of a furnace (or three in this case), a circulating pump, an external air conditioning chiller (combination compressor and heat exchanger), heating/cooling registers (the heating/cooling/fan units in each room), and a water loop. Water heated by the furnaces or cooled by the chiller is circulated through the water loop, providing either hot or cold air from the register units, depending upon the season.
Geothermal systems replace the furnaces and the external air conditioning chiller with a well, a well pump, and a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger/compressor. There's no combustion needed to heat (meaning no heating oil, natural gas, or propane needed) and no big clunky, noisy, inefficient air conditioning condenser outside for cooling.
Because of the efficiency of geothermal systems, heating and cooling costs are considerably lower than conventional systems. A comparison of heating and cooling costs can be seen here. Though based on slightly outdated information (heating oil is assumed to cost $3/gallon, propane is assumed to cost $3.32/gallon) it isn't unreasonable to assume energy prices will be the same or higher by the time the police station addition and renovation is completed.
For a somewhat more in-depth look at geothermal heating and cooling systems, a presentation made to the New Hampshire State Employees Association by Water Energy this past December can be seen here (It's approximately 3.3MB in size). While it is aimed more at residential systems, the same principles and efficiencies apply to the police station addition and renovation.
If there are any questions about the proposed geothermal HVAC system for the police station, please feel free to use the comment system or e-mail us at the link under Contact Us.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Answer To A Query
A query received via a comment from Part I:
When the Facilities Planning Committee was looking at all the alternatives a year ago, the building on Sawmill Road didn't exist. Though the committee looked at the possibility of purchasing or leasing an existing building and renovating it to meet the needs of the police department, it was seen as too costly and the idea was abandoned. Taking onto account the vote by the citizens of Gilford three years ago rejecting the standalone police station project, primarily due to the cost, a large enough standalone facility to meet the present and future needs of the police department was deemed by the committee to be economically non-viable. The people of the town had spoken and the committee listened. That's why the expansion and renovation of the existing station was seen as the best course of action to take.
Since the committee has not seen the building plans for the Post Office we can't comment with a high degree of confidence upon the viability of using that building as a police station. But some assumptions can be based upon earlier work done by the committee to answer some of your questions.
One question that would need to be answered is how big is the Post Office building? If it isn't anywhere near the size of the existing project plan and there's not enough space or setback to ensure a facility large enough to meet the police department needs, then using that building would not solve the existing space problem, but merely shift its location while costing the town's taxpayers a lot of money.
Another thing to consider is the requirements under national police standards in regards to construction and layout in order to ensure the safety of officers, detainees, and the public and whether the existing building can be modified easily and cost effectively to meet those standards and the needs of the police department.
At this point there are too many unknowns and not enough time to determine with any kind of accuracy how much it would cost to purchase the building and make the necessary changes and additions. Under those circumstance the committee would also be unable to determine whether it would be cost effective to do so.
In regards to the problems at the existing station, some of them, specifically including the condensation and drainage problem in the basement, will be corrected during construction of the expanded facility. The cause of this particular problem was discovered during a survey of the perimeter drainage system surrounding the town hall/police station. Apparently the drainage pipe in front of the police station portion of the facility was crushed when the foundation excavation was backfilled with some of the ledge tailings removed when the building was constructed over 20 years ago. With that blockage water from rainfall and so on had difficulty draining away, leading to the condensation and leakage problems seen over the years.
Changing plans to use the Post Office if it were a viable option at this point would be difficult, expensive, and require starting the project from scratch, again. All the funds expended to this point would have been wasted, and completion of the project would be pushed out another two or three years. The project costs will likely be higher, particularly if economic conditions recover. The town of Gilford is taking advantage of the lower material costs, lower construction fees, and low bond interest rates available at this time. The town may not see costs this low again any time soon.
Have you considered utilizing the existing building on Sawmill Road, originally built for the US Postal Service?
It would appear to me that the first floor could be slightly modified to meet the needs of the Police Department, as well as two-floor addition to the rear of the building. The first floor of the addition could be for sally ports, booking room, and a patrol room; second floor for additional office space.
The location also provides quick access to most of the town.
It doesn’t make sense to me why we would add-on to a building with existing problems. I wonder if we could utilize the building on Sawmill Road at the same cost of the expansion, and gain the use of the original Police Department for other town departments. The Police Department, a 24/7 agency, would also not have to deal with construction while operating.
When the Facilities Planning Committee was looking at all the alternatives a year ago, the building on Sawmill Road didn't exist. Though the committee looked at the possibility of purchasing or leasing an existing building and renovating it to meet the needs of the police department, it was seen as too costly and the idea was abandoned. Taking onto account the vote by the citizens of Gilford three years ago rejecting the standalone police station project, primarily due to the cost, a large enough standalone facility to meet the present and future needs of the police department was deemed by the committee to be economically non-viable. The people of the town had spoken and the committee listened. That's why the expansion and renovation of the existing station was seen as the best course of action to take.
Since the committee has not seen the building plans for the Post Office we can't comment with a high degree of confidence upon the viability of using that building as a police station. But some assumptions can be based upon earlier work done by the committee to answer some of your questions.
One question that would need to be answered is how big is the Post Office building? If it isn't anywhere near the size of the existing project plan and there's not enough space or setback to ensure a facility large enough to meet the police department needs, then using that building would not solve the existing space problem, but merely shift its location while costing the town's taxpayers a lot of money.
Another thing to consider is the requirements under national police standards in regards to construction and layout in order to ensure the safety of officers, detainees, and the public and whether the existing building can be modified easily and cost effectively to meet those standards and the needs of the police department.
At this point there are too many unknowns and not enough time to determine with any kind of accuracy how much it would cost to purchase the building and make the necessary changes and additions. Under those circumstance the committee would also be unable to determine whether it would be cost effective to do so.
In regards to the problems at the existing station, some of them, specifically including the condensation and drainage problem in the basement, will be corrected during construction of the expanded facility. The cause of this particular problem was discovered during a survey of the perimeter drainage system surrounding the town hall/police station. Apparently the drainage pipe in front of the police station portion of the facility was crushed when the foundation excavation was backfilled with some of the ledge tailings removed when the building was constructed over 20 years ago. With that blockage water from rainfall and so on had difficulty draining away, leading to the condensation and leakage problems seen over the years.
Changing plans to use the Post Office if it were a viable option at this point would be difficult, expensive, and require starting the project from scratch, again. All the funds expended to this point would have been wasted, and completion of the project would be pushed out another two or three years. The project costs will likely be higher, particularly if economic conditions recover. The town of Gilford is taking advantage of the lower material costs, lower construction fees, and low bond interest rates available at this time. The town may not see costs this low again any time soon.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Police Station Proposal - Part III
This is the third in a series of posts covering the proposed Gilford Police Station Addition and Renovation.
First Floor Plan
Lower Floor Plan
Site Plan
Please remember: If you have any questions about the information on this site, or would like to see additional information about the project, please use the comment section (the link is under each post) or e-mail us at the e-mail address linked on the left under Contact Us.
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For those interested in the layout of the new police station, meaning the first floor and basement floor plans, as well as an overhead schematic of the entire site, can click on the titles below each photo for a PDF that is zoomable for a more detailed view. (These links can also be found on the links bar at the left under Project Information.) Click on the images themselves for a larger view.
Please remember: If you have any questions about the information on this site, or would like to see additional information about the project, please use the comment section (the link is under each post) or e-mail us at the e-mail address linked on the left under Contact Us.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Police Station Proposal - Part II
This is the second in a series of posts covering the proposed Gilford Police Station Addition and Renovation.
CLICK ON IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW
Front View
CLICK ON IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW
Rear View
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The two pictures below are depictions of the front and rear views of the police station as it will appear after the addition and renovations are completed.Front View
Rear View
Police Station Proposal - Part I
This is the first in a series of posts covering the proposed Gilford Police Station Addition and Renovation.
A few initial details about the proposal:
There are a number of documents and drawings for the project available for viewing and downloading. We've also included links to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Rarely Asked Questions (RAQ), and a PowerPoint presentation outlining reasons for and the benefits of the Police Station addition and renovation. (The PowerPoint presentation is a large file, about 5.5MB, so it may take a while to download depending upon your connection speed to the Internet.)
If anyone has questions, they may ask them by using the comment section of this blog, or by e-mailing the Facilities Planning Committee at: fpc@tarnover.us
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The FPC has made presentations about the proposed police station addition/renovation to the Board of Selectmen, the Budget Committee, and the Energy Committee. The Selectmen and Budget Committee have approved the project, and the Energy committee has endorsed the energy efficient design of the project.A few initial details about the proposal:
After the addition to the station and renovation of the existing space, the police station will have approximately 11,800 square feet of space. Approximately 800 square feet of that space will used for multipurpose meeting rooms which can be used by the general public when it is not being used by the police department for training.
The project will relieve some major space problems that have existed in the existing station for over 10 years, particularly when it comes to evidence and equipment storage and access.
It will bring the police station up to national police standards, providing better safety for police department personnel, detainees, and the general public.
It will eliminate the need for the town to rent storage trailers for evidence and department equipment.
The heating, cooling, and ventilation systems will use state of the art geothermal technology, eliminating the use of oil for heating and greatly reducing the costs to cool the building. High R-value insulation in the walls and attic space will greatly reduce the demand for heating and cooling, which in turn will reduce the operating costs of the new facility.
The not-to-exceed cost of the project is $1.58 million, with $1.2 million to be raised via a bond, and the remaining $380,000 to come from the town's undesignated funds balance.
There are a number of documents and drawings for the project available for viewing and downloading. We've also included links to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Rarely Asked Questions (RAQ), and a PowerPoint presentation outlining reasons for and the benefits of the Police Station addition and renovation. (The PowerPoint presentation is a large file, about 5.5MB, so it may take a while to download depending upon your connection speed to the Internet.)
If anyone has questions, they may ask them by using the comment section of this blog, or by e-mailing the Facilities Planning Committee at: fpc@tarnover.us
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Major Update
A major update of this blog will occur on Saturday, January 10th. All of the information available about the proposed Gilford Police Station addition and renovation will be posted sometime that day.
Electronic renderings of the floor plan, front and rear views, a PowerPoint presentation about the proposal, as well as links to a FAQ (Frequently Asked Question) and RAQ (Rarely Asked Questions) section will b posted.
The postings will cover the basics of the proposal as well as some of the technical details about the energy efficiencies designed into the station, including high efficiency lighting, insulation, and a geothermal HVAC system to heat and cool the station.
There will be e-mail links which will allow citizens of Gilford or other interested parties to ask questions of the FPC about the project. Comments to the posts will also be enabled should anyone wish to make known their views on the project.
Electronic renderings of the floor plan, front and rear views, a PowerPoint presentation about the proposal, as well as links to a FAQ (Frequently Asked Question) and RAQ (Rarely Asked Questions) section will b posted.
The postings will cover the basics of the proposal as well as some of the technical details about the energy efficiencies designed into the station, including high efficiency lighting, insulation, and a geothermal HVAC system to heat and cool the station.
There will be e-mail links which will allow citizens of Gilford or other interested parties to ask questions of the FPC about the project. Comments to the posts will also be enabled should anyone wish to make known their views on the project.
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