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Politics & Government

ABOUT TOWN: Stoughton Building Maintenance Keeping Grover Busy

Welcome to "About Town with Mark Snyder," a column that will keep you up to the minute with what's what, who's who and what's going on around town. If you see or hear something we could use here, let us know by sending an e-mail to pmpco@aol.com.

BUILDING MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR IS "VERY BUSY":  Bob Grover, who was Stoughton's Building Inspector decades ago, and most recently served as Stoughton's Interim Building Inspector, was given the new position of Building Maintenance Supervisor by Town Manager Francis T. Crimmins Jr.

Grover, who shares an office with the SMAC audio and video equipment on the third floor of Town Hall, has been—as Crimmins would say—"Very Busy." He's Chairman of the Feasibility Committee (which also includes Fire Chief , retired Town Manager Jeanne Fleming, local contractor and SMAC Board member Stephen Bates, electricians Pat Byron and Stephen Gibb, and pipe fitter Bob McCormick) that is looking into on Freeman Street and the Armory at Pleasant and Turnpike Streets.

Dolloff explained the myriad of problems at the old station at their recent meeting, and told the Committee that NEMA and FEMA may be interested in working with the town of Stoughton, utilizing the old armory building for a disaster staging facility.

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Dolloff and Captain Don Jasmin are going to give the Feasibility Committee a tour of Fire Station # 1 on March 10. The Fire Station at 30 Freeman Street was built in 1927, and in 1969 had rehabilitation, an addition and dorm added. The list of repairs needed to make the building truly serviceable numbers over 40 and fills two pages.

But, it's much more than that Committee that gives Grover a full plate. When About Town stopped by on Wednesday, February 29, Grover was like the Energizer Rabbit, grabbing paperwork and talking about the many projects he is juggling at once.

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at the Stoughton Senior Center has added to his load. He figures there was between $15-17,000 damage to the library and adjacent ladies room from the 40-foot tree that went through the building.

He's been working with Acting Chief Procurement Officer Lindsay Pope in trying to work in some emergency assistance. But, knowing full well the procurement controversy in town, he added, "We want to do it by the letter of the law. Lindsay knows her stuff. She is helping me out."

Other items that Grover is working on include a rear masonry project at the Stoughton Historical Society building at 6 Park Street (Jason Corp. got the winning bid at $8900); Capen-Reynolds Farm's roof, which went to HIG General Contractor for $8700. HIG might sound familiar to those who read town bids. That's the same firm that did the interior painting at Town Hall.

He is also working on the large Town Hall roof project, which is moving along. Stoughton paid $31,000 to Russo-Bar Associates for Designer Services Documents on the Town Hall Roof Replacement Project. Grover said that estimates by Russo-Barr peg the total cost of the project at around $295,000. Now that the documents are in from Russo-Barr, the advertising for bids can begin.

Speaking of the Senior Center, Grover said that the wood on the building is rapidly deteriorating and that 25 percent of the outside wood is totally rotted and needs replacing.

"We've been replacing it piecemeal through our maintenance department. What we need to do is replace this outside wood trim with the latest plastic exterior trim. It's lifetime guaranteed," he said.

Grover has a . One asks for $360,000 to do work on Town Hall, The Historical Society building and the Senior Center. As for the Town Hall roof, Grover told me that 25 years ago he tried to get the town to go with a slate roof.

"If they had listened to my advice, we would not be spending nearly 300,000 dollars to replace it. That roof would be lasting another 75 years. It's always the same: pay now or pay later."   

Grover is one of the "good guys" at Town Hall.

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