Safety Hazards To Be Answered With Demolition At FFH

By Kendra Bobowick

Crumbling porches, a rusted fire escape, and break-ins have added up to safety concerns prompting fast action from the Fairfield Hills Authority Tuesday night.

“If people feel it’s a significant safety concern where someone could be injured we can’t postpone,” said member John Reed.

Disrepair at the empty former state institution buildings has become potentially hazardous, the authority learned from Maria DeMarco of DeMarco Management Corporation, who asked the members take action. Her firm handles security at Fairfield Hills. Porches off Danbury and Norwalk Houses are extremely deteriorated, and also on Norwalk is a rusted and precarious fire escape that poses several problems.

First of all, it is in use.

Ms DeMarco said, “We’ve had a number of break-ins and kids get up onto the building.” The security issue is overshadowed by safety concerns, however.

“It’s hanging by a thread, I don’t know how that fire escape is hanging on,” Ms DeMarco said.

She began by asking the board members to place their attention on the fire escape and the Norwalk porch.

“Maybe you can delay Danbury, I don’t have break-ins there,” she said. John Reed offered a better idea the authority members soon adopted.

“I don’t know how we could put one on a back burner once [Ms DeMarco] said it was serious, so we put both on the ‘to do’ list,” he had said in a separate interview. Further explaining his sense of responsibility, he continued, “As a board, if someone comes to us with a safety issue the just course is to move with appropriate speed.”

Vice Chairman Andrew Willie said Tuesday, “I say we go ahead with removing the porches.”

Chairman Robert Geckle made the sentiments official by formally moving “to expend funds on Norwalk and Danbury and authorize the removal of the fire escape as a hazard.” Ms DeMarco has already looked at bids for the demolition work, and Public Works Director Fred Hurley, who was also at the meeting, agreed to look into removing the fire escape. Answering the question of costs for the bids Ms DeMarco had received, Mr Reed later reviewed his paperwork and saw that demolition for each porch was an estimated $14,700. Funds will come from the authority’s operating budget, he said.

Ms DeMarco said she now needs to award a bid, pull required permits, and involve the Department of Environmental Protection because of lead paint and asbestos in the materials to be removed.

“It’s not a danger to somebody,” she reassured, “It’s a matter of proper disposal.” Residents might see the demolition in coming weeks once the project is organized. Issuing an overall warning for the porches and buildings, Ms DeMarco said, “People really need to stay away.” Signs are posted instructing guests to stay away at least 15 feet from the buildings.