By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — It might be easy to miss, but work on the manufactured buildings, the Putnam EMS’s new home, is started.
Elaine Sistare, town administrator, said the prep work on the area between the old EMS building and the Putnam Fire Department building has started — in the form of markings on the pavement. In addition, some utilities work will be done shortly while the two manufactured buildings are on order.
She hopes that the project will be finished by Christmas.
The HUD-certified contractor is Nutt Construction. The site work will include some minor demolition and then excavation will begin. Home Nation will supply the two modular units and Sistare had said earlier that they need five to 10 weeks of lead time so she’s hoping they “will be in before the harsh winter.” Lead time is also needed for furniture and fixtures.
The concrete foundation and building supports will need 28 days of curing time. Nutt Construction said they’d prefer to have the units delivered and put into place when the concrete is ready. They do not want the units delivered to the site and then moved later onto the foundation. The two buildings would be craned into place and then joined together.
The 1,200 square foot combined building would contain three bedrooms, a kitchen area and a shower area. It would measure 27 feet wide and 44 feet long.
She said one of the bedrooms would be turned into an office. There would be nice clean modern space for sleeping, showers, cooking, a conference space and bathrooms.
Parking and access will be reworked.
The ad hoc committee OK’d using $88,000 in ARPA funds for furniture, fixtures and a new generator. Also available is $260,000 in Local Capital Improvement Program funding.
The emergency vehicles would stay in the current building. That building was built in 1960 and saw a modest upgrade in 2000. But it does not meet regulation. The crews do not have a good place to “decontaminate” after returning from a call. The shower in the current building is being used for storage, Sistare said.
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