By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
It seems more than a little ironic that the Decatur Fire Department is having a significant problem with … water!
Moisture is coming into the south portion of the department’s station on Seventh St. and no one can detect just where it’s coming from.
The part of the building affected is, essentially, a pole barn with a brick facade. It was constructed in 1983 and thus is 42 years old, Fire Chief Jeff Sheets told Decatur’s board of works and safety at its Tuesday meeting.
The water problems have not affected the original building, constructed in 1932, nor the portion on the north end, built some time in the 1960s.
Some repairs were made a year or so ago due to moisture and mold, but haven’t rectified the problem. And it’s a key problem since it’s in the south portion of the station where the firefighters sleep.
Chief Sheets explained some of the places where moisture has been found – “Water pours in at a corner post (of the building),” he said – but nothing was more dramatic than his explanation that a dehumidifier in the sleeping quarters has to be emptied three times a day!
“Three times?” asked in incredulous Craig Coshow, one of the members of the board.
“We have no idea where the water is coming from. We’re at our wit’s end trying to figure it out,” Sheets said.
He noted that seven posts in the building need to be replaced, including six by the sleeping quarters, and that should rectify the problem.
Sheets secured two quotes which would provide the needed repairs: Arnold Lumber of Decatur, $8,900, and Meyer Building of Craigville, $13,400.
“The Arnold quote seems reasonable,” said board member Tyler Fullenkamp, who then moved to award a contract to the local firm. Coshow agreed and a 3-0 vote sealed the deal.
About the Author
