Members of the Camillus volunteer fire department would like to hire professionals to come into the firehouse on a biweekly basis and do routine cleaning, a job that would cost at least $6,000.
Brian Raichlin, president of the fire department, presented the proposal at the Camillus Village Board meeting Monday, May 21. Raichlin said members of the fire department are too busy maintaining fire engines and equipment to do regular cleaning of the firehouse. Many members of the board took issue with this.
“You got all these people that hang out down there, watch television, watch cable, be there for when the sirens go off, all the things that they do, they can’t all do a rotating schedule to clean the firehouse? That’s sad,” said trustee Bridget Yule.
Three different cleaning companies provided Raichlin with a determined cost of what they would charge to clean the firehouse. One company would charge $270 for each cleaning, another company proposed a cost of $691.20 per cleaning and the third company would charge the fire department $730 per month.
“It’s just a stretch when you think that there are people there all the time utilizing a beautiful facility and they do not want to be responsible for how it looks,” Yule said. “It’s a tough thing to sell taxpayers.”
Raichlin argued that it is difficult to motivate certain members of the fire department to clean the firehouse. “We’re not going to go through the whole station while we’re there and start cleaning everything, the whole place,” he said.
Although Raichlin was unable to provide the board with an exact list of what needs to be cleaned at the firehouse, he said the floor needs to be swept and mopped, and the windows need cleaning and dusting, among other things.
Board members suggested ways to get the firehouse clean other than hiring a company. Code enforcement officer William Reagan suggested calling the Camillus Town Court and utilizing people who are legally required to complete community service hours. Reagan said the Marcellus fire department has had success in doing this.
Yule suggested asking inactive members of the fire department to come in and help clean. “I don’t understand if people are spending time there, which they do, to be there for when the calls come, and you’ve got a pretty good facility there, that we can’t go the extra mile to get people on a rotating schedule,” she said.
Ultimately, Mayor Patricia Butler said the board would have to review the proposal more thoroughly before making a decision.
“We need to have some more investigation,” she said.
Also at the meeting:
—The board authorized Butler to rent up to five portable restrooms for this weekend’s Memorial Day carnival. Trustee Ann Eckert said Sabre Enterprises, Inc. is providing the town of Camillus with bathrooms for its Memorial Day celebration. Eckert said the company is providing the town with bathrooms at a discounted price of $70 per stall. Members of the board agreed they would be willing to spend this same amount on bathrooms. Butler said the village should make enough money from carnival ride sales to pay for the restrooms.
—Butler announced that the board was able to successfully raise $2,000 in order to put on a fireworks show Saturday evening, May 26, at dusk.
—The Department of Transportation will be doing roadwork at the corner of Newport Road and Genesee Street during the summer of 2013 in order to replace or update existing traffic signal equipment and update pedestrian signals.
—The Nine Mile Creek Conservation Council has agreed to work along the canoe launch in the village to plant trees and bushes in an effort to increase the wildlife in the area, Butler said. She said the council received a $3,000-$4,000 grant which will allow it to carry out the project.
