Rescue Squad Update

SODawg said:

best1 said:

The people of South Orange really need to file a restraining order against the V.P. He's dangerously stupid.

I nominate @best1 for poster if the month and by default villager of the month.

lol. I'll take whatever I can. Another thought. I saw Michael Moore a few weeks ago when he spoke here. If there are any young filmmakers who want to make a Moore-style documentary about the dangers of electing incompetent, self serving nit-wits even on the local level, I think they would certainly have plenty of material..

Excellent!

newstead77 said:

They should already have the radio and equipment - as they are currently operating. They would only need to move it to the new building.

It isn't always that simple. Radio equipment tends to be installed piecemeal over the years. Just yanking it out and moving it to a new building can sometimes actually cost nearly as much as installing a new system.

The exhaust system is also a complicated system that needs to be installed by a professional as improper installation could cost lives. It isn't just a simple exhaust fan, but rather a system of hoses, etc, that attach directly to the exhaust pipe of the vehicle when it is in the bay. Since SORS is an in-house squad this is vital to keeping the members safe when sleeping.

You can't nominate villagers of the month. That is determined by people edo use the public stuff app the most

spontaneous said:

newstead77 said:

They should already have the radio and equipment - as they are currently operating. They would only need to move it to the new building.

It isn't always that simple. Radio equipment tends to be installed piecemeal over the years. Just yanking it out and moving it to a new building can sometimes actually cost nearly as much as installing a new system.

The exhaust system is also a complicated system that needs to be installed by a professional as improper installation could cost lives. It isn't just a simple exhaust fan, but rather a system of hoses, etc, that attach directly to the exhaust pipe of the vehicle when it is in the bay. Since SORS is an in-house squad this is vital to keeping the members safe when sleeping.

I'm sure that was all considered by the vp and developed attorney when agreeing to the 1.1 million

best1,

You have done a disservice to all the nitwits out there by putting Torpey in that category. Incompetent, yes, the Peter principle at its finest yet, but nitwit only maybe. The saddest thing is that people in this town, not me, actually voted for him and some of the other twits on the BOT. May heaven protect us for the next 14 months.

SODawg said:

Ok. Here is the transcript of the video. The exchange is between the Redevelopment attorney that got SO into this mess and Trustee Goldberg.

Village redevelopment Attorney: " I think... Because it's not a particularly complicated bldg., I mean there's an elevator, that's probably the most expensive thing in it. Um, it's a big garage with a building on top. The SENSE is that $1.1m SHOULD BE A PRETTY GOOD NUMBER and we'll be able to fine tune that pretty quickly.
(Directed to Michael Goldberg) "You sound doubtful"

Michael Goldberg: "I am doubtful... I just think maybe construction alone, but by the time you fit it out and again design and architects and all that stuff...."

The attorney's comments are empty. He had no clue what the bldg. would cost. He guessed. Clearly the refinement never occurred. He and the firm he works for should be held responsible for this. Is the village going to sit idle knowing they got bad representation?

spontaneous said:

newstead77 said:

They should already have the radio and equipment - as they are currently operating. They would only need to move it to the new building.

It isn't always that simple. Radio equipment tends to be installed piecemeal over the years. Just yanking it out and moving it to a new building can sometimes actually cost nearly as much as installing a new system.

The exhaust system is also a complicated system that needs to be installed by a professional as improper installation could cost lives. It isn't just a simple exhaust fan, but rather a system of hoses, etc, that attach directly to the exhaust pipe of the vehicle when it is in the bay. Since SORS is an in-house squad this is vital to keeping the members safe when sleeping.

I agree with you completely. It doesn't mean, however, that none of the components can be reused. I have installed numerous dust collection systems in woodshops. Every one is unique, but sometimes good functional parts can be reused. I never meant to imply that the exhaust system should be assembled by amatuers.

Getting back to saving the squad...when you decide what you're doing for fundraising - let me know - happy to donate goods/services. Also if you need pix for the website and don't have them - contact me - happy to help.

So, The Village government fcuks up the whole process resulting in less money for the squad building than was orginally promised and then washes its hands of the whole problem by turning it over to the squad.

Local politics at its absolute best.

I checked into this thread for an update. After a single informative post, it descended into the usual SO political conversation.

You are doing a disservice to people who need your help by taking this thread OT.

max_weisenfeld said:

I checked into this thread for an update. After a single informative post, it descended into the usual SO political conversation.

You are doing a disservice to people who need your help by taking this thread OT.

What do you mean?

Why are you folks trying to Upstage Maplewood?

I know it's a minor piece but I'd be happy to help outfit the kitchen in the new place. And I'd be happy to help with any interior design work you might need.

I think he means off topic OT. It is very on topic. The village created this mess and is handing it to the RS. They need to suck it up and make up the difference and admit the mistakes made .

Somethingz_Fishy said:

I know it's a minor piece but I'd be happy to help outfit the kitchen in the new place. And I'd be happy to help with any interior design work you might need.

As usual, Fishy steps up.

Dan, I was an assistant project manager on a commercial construction project and I take really good meeting notes. I'm also around during the day. Let me know if that would be helpful. I would PM you but I'm traveling with just my phone and can't initiate a PM.

max_weisenfeld said:

I checked into this thread for an update. After a single informative post, it descended into the usual SO political conversation.

You are doing a disservice to people who need your help by taking this thread OT.

It is not OT. It is SO that literally sold the old, perfectly fine, location out from under them and under negotiated the payment for a replacement. And then when it become clear that there is a shortfall they dump the shortfall on the organization they caused to be booted. I am very surprised that there is not MORE outrage.

I've bumped the other Rescue Squad thread just in case anyone wants to post there.

Hate when I agree with Zoinks, but I do here (except for his assessment of the old facility as being "perfectly fine").

Actually steve new didn't say the facility was fine, just the location

scottgreenstone said:

Actually steve new didn't say the facility was fine, just the location

I read it the same way as Steve did, but now that I look at it again I see you're right, dammit.

So you want me to agree completely with Zoinks? Have a heart.

Sorry. The ink don't lie

Hello,

I wanted to post a brief update on the new Rescue Squad building project. We have hired Robbie Conley Architect LLC to design the new building. Robbie has completed the initial schematic drawings which we approved last week and now he is working on actual construction documents and plans. When these plans are at 75% completion we will bid the project out to construction companies and then Robbie and the builder will complete the remaining 25% together. Next update should be in late May and at that time we should have a lot more details on the actual construction timeline.

In the meantime, our temporary location is 13 Fourth Street in South Orange.

We will be organizing a series of fundraisers throughout the year to help pay for this project. I'll start another thread to fill people in on those as they come up, but the first will be a fundraising party at Bunny's on Saturday May 31st:

https://www.facebook.com/events/290420427749357

We'd love to see as many MOL'ers there as possible. It should be a very fun night. We will be auctioning off lots of great prizes and if anyone has something that they would like to donate for the auction, please PM me.

Thank you,

Dan Cohen
Captain
South Orange Rescue Squad

Thanks, Dan. Will the renderings be shared for public comment or with any of the standing village committees before being finalized? Or are the plans already final?

Its not the town's baby anymore & the squad is a private organization so I doubt they would put their plans "out there" for public review. They shouldn't as far as I'm concerned. If mbaldwin (for example) decided to build a home or an addition to his home, we wouldn't expect to be privy to the plans or to have our 2 cents accepted.

ace789nj said:

Its not the town's baby anymore & the squad is a private organization so I doubt they would put their plans "out there" for public review. They shouldn't as far as I'm concerned. If mbaldwin decided to build a home or an addition to his home, we wouldn't expect to be privy to the plans or to have our 2 cents accepted.

I don't know what agreement the town made with the rescue squad when transferring the funds to the organization. I also don't know what, if any, review is necessary for new construction in the village, especially new construction next to a historic building. For instance, the plans may have to go in front of the zoning board to ensure they are in line with the code -- or the historic preservation commission. I simply don't know, that's why I'm asking.

Yes, zoning and regulatory standards are a given but that review is done by village employees tasked specifically with such. What I'm saying is that the squad shouldn't be putting out their plans for the residents, molers or anyone else to chime in on what they think is needed or not or looks good or this or that.

Just to clarify, the Planning Board is composed mostly of South Orange citizens, not village employeew / elected officials and its meetings are open to the public, AFAIK. I also think it's a safe bet that the SORS will show renderings during their public fundraisers.