Work begins quietly on new fire station
By ROB PRICE THE COURIER-ADVOCATE

BATH - Construction crews for T. J. Taylor Inc. of Rochester have begun site preparation for a new $2 million fire station for the Bath volunteer Fire Department.

Department officials hope to have the foundations set and a steel frame erected before the end of the 2006 construction season, according to fire Chief Mark Conrad.

The work is proceeding in spite of a warning earlier this year from the state Department of Labor the project may require the payment of prevailing labor wages. Fire department and Bath village officials have warned that requirement would add hundreds of thousands of dollars to the cost of the project.

Conrad said attorneys for the fire department continue to discuss the issue with the state, and he added the prevailing wage issue made it necessary to downplay the start of construction at the East Morris Street site. "I'm not making a big hoopla out of it," he said.

Nevertheless, the work fulfills a promise Conrad made in the summer when the Labor Department's opinion brought the construction project momentarily to a grinding halt. At that time, Conrad said the fire department would endeavor to break ground construction site before the 2006- 07 winter sets in.

Fire Department officials have insisted the Labor Department misinterpreted documents outlining the relationship between the independent not-for-profit corporation and the Village of Bath, with which the fire department contracts annually for fire protection services.

The root of the issue involves a $2.4 million lowinterest loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to the fire department that will pay for the bulk of the construction. Repayment of the loan is the responsibility of the fire department, Conrad says. The Labor Department has countered public funds will be used in repaying the loan.

Both the Village and Town of Bath have sought to clarify the special relationship between the municipalities and the fire department, passing resolutions that stress there is no governmental connection between the municipalities and the fire department, which the resolutions described as "independent." Town officials have noted their municipality subcontracts with the Village of Bath for fire protection services, which then are covered by the principal contract the village signs with the fire department.