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Fire station work began without permit
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - November 17, 2011)
Fire station work began without permit
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
The Burton Fire Department moved quickly this month, apparently too quickly, to put a new roof on its station.
Burton village's historic district architectural review board voted unanimously Monday to recommend that Village Council impose a $500 penalty on the department for failing to obtain the necessary permit and review before beginning work, which is 75 percent complete.
The board began looking at the issue after receiving a letter Nov. 7 from village Zoning Inspector John Spisak. "The village of Burton has received a complaint that the roof of the building located at 13828 Spring St. is being replaced without first receiving a permit from the village of Burton historic district review board," he wrote.
Jennell Dahlhausen, the village's deputy administrative assistant, said the work was begun Nov. 4, but fire officials did not apply for the permit until Nov. 10. The work is not supposed to proceed until the review board gives its approval to the permit.
Board member Kurt Updegraff said village ordinances also give the village authority to have those who fail to file a permit to remove whatever work was done before receiving official approval.
He said the fire station is a "significant contributing building" to the National Registry of Historic Places, a distinction the village received in 1974 for its town park and surrounding buildings.
"To me, it's a pretty flagrant violation," Mr. Updegraff said.
He said the board must also review whether the metal roof that was chosen by the fire department meets the acceptable replacement materials for the roof. He said the original roof of the 1881 building was slate, and appropriate replacement materials include slate-colored asphalt shingles.
Although no representative of the fire department was at the meeting, Fire Chief Michael Sestak addressed the issue later that day at a Village Council meeting. "We apologize," he told council. "We didn't think about it."
He said the department has been dealing with damage from water that has poured into the building because of a leaking roof and wanted to act quickly to stop further damage. He estimated the damage at $13,000, citing floor boards, ceiling tiles and the roof as sustaining the most damage. He said a "waterfall" was pouring into the bay area of the station during Monday's rainstorm.
"I don't know how much more we can apologize, but we're trying to save money," Mr. Sestak said.
He said no one from the village objected when the department replaced the original slate roof with shingles. "No one said anything," he said.
The department chose to go with a metal roof, Mr. Sestak said, after getting pricing on other materials. He said tearing off the old shingles and installing new ones would have cost the department $20,000. To put another layer of shingles on was estimated at $10,000. The metal roof laid over the shingles cost the department $11,500.
Councilman Gerald Rouge, who also serves on the review board, said the department should have been aware of the requirements, because all property owners within the historic district were sent letters and a copy of the ordinance regarding alterations a little over a year ago.
He said, although the village could order the department to remove the metal roof, he doesn't think it would come to that.
"I feel strongly about this," Mr. Rouge said. "We will have lost all authority if we allow people to do whatever they want and come after the fact."
Mr. Rouge said the board could have called for up to a $1,000 penalty but decided on the $500.
Mr. Sestak said the department acted only in an attempt to save taxpayers from more expensive fixes. "We didn't do it to spite the review board," he said. "We were trying to save the only building we have."
He said the department has photographs of other buildings in the historic district that were altered without village approval.
Mr. Sestak said the department will not tear off the metal roof, regardless of the village's decision. "I'm not doing it, and you can take me wherever," he said.
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