Milford Ambulance Building Back Under Budget

Cuts to the ambulance building proposal have brought the project back in line with the voter-approved $2.2-million budget.

A warrant article funding the project was approved last March.

But more recent cost estimates showed the project coming in roughly $250,000 above budget, said Ambulance Facility Building Committee Vice Chairman Steve Sareault Monday night.

"The hard needs of the ambulance department have been met with the size of the building," Sareault told the Board of Selectmen. "We have made some cuts. Those cuts were more aesthetic than they were functional and that's been our drive."

The floor plan, which includes four ambulance bays, was relatively unchanged, he said. Instead, Sareault said aesthetic features, like exterior brickwork and dormers, were sacrificed to cut costs.

The Ambulance Facility Building Committee also decided to delay purchasing a generator for the building to see if there's money left over after the various components have gone out to bid, Sareault said. He said removing the generator from the up-front costs saved the project about $32,000.

Selectman Kathy Bauer said she did not support opening the building without a generator.

"We need to be on a reserve list at least, otherwise the idea of having that facility open with no power, I think is unacceptable," she said. "That's my own personal opinion."

Town Administrator Guy Scaife said the generator would still be a top priority after actual costs are finalized through the bidding process.

"It's not if we have a generator; it's when we get a generator," he said. "...There's not a lot of choice here. They've got to make the numbers fit and they can't add to this warrant article. We don't know that the money won't spread to cover this, but there's a huge risk."

After the reductions, the estimated cost of construction has been revised to $1.8 million, with equipment, contingency and other costs rounding out the $2.2-million total, Sareault said.

Town Emergency Medical Services Director Eric Schelberg reiterated Monday that the proposal would meet the needs of his department.

"Some comments I have heard are that the ambulance facility will not have enough room and, contrary to that rumor, if you will, the facility that is proposed will fully occupy the site, but it will meet the needs of the department now and in the future," Schelberg said Monday.

Right now, ambulance services occupies a two-bay space at the Milford Town Hall. The former Harvey's Music building on Elm Street has been torn down in preparation for the new facility.

Schelberg said construction should begin in the early spring and the building should be fully operational by next fall.