The Norwich City Council debated Monday, July 1, on a move to shift $56,585 in capital funding from renovations to the Taftville Volunteer Fire Department’s kitchen to fund the final amount needed to order a $1.2 million pumper for the central city paid fire department, theday.com reported.
It brought to the surface friction between the city’s paid and volunteer fire departments, the report said.
Mayor Peter Nystrom cited a 2021 fire services study that recommended replacing Squad A with a medical response vehicle, according to the report.
Council President Pro Tempore Joseph DeLucia countered by saying needs had changed since the 2021 fire study, and replacing the Squad A pumper is the biggest need currently, according to the report. The rig is the most heavily used vehicle for the Norwich Fire Department, Chief Tracy Montoya told the council, the report said.
Alderwoman Stacy Gould strongly objected to elimination of the $56,585 that would be the final capital allocation needed to start work on the estimated $153,000 plan to upgrade the Taftville Volunteer Fire Department kitchen, the report said. The kitchen’s stove hood does not comply with international building code, prohibiting the fire department from cooking for any function with non-members in attendance, according to the report.
Norwich Fire Chief Montoya, the city’s fire marshal, said Taftville still can hold its regular Sunday pancake breakfasts, cooking the food outside, the report said.
Montoya said funding the pumper takes top priority over the years-long deficiency in the Taftville fire station kitchen, according to the report. The rig is needed for firefighting, while the kitchen is a community service item, the report said.
The council voted 4-3 to fund the pumper over the kitchen.
