“I’m concerned that one of these days, we’re going to have a catastrophic failure of that entire roof,” Hazelton said. “Someday, that thing is going to collapse.”

Hazelton urged the Village Board, of which he previously served on, to consider a plan to address the roof of the building. This is not the first time the Brocton Fire Hall led to significant discussion at a meeting in recent years.

Two years ago, the Village Board approved an agreement with Municipal Solutions to pursue grant funding to apply to the Village of Brocton Fire Hall and Community Center. The minimum cost of the agreement was $5,000.

Grant funding up to $1 million was available through the grant application process, but the Village’s submission was unsuccessful. CPL: Architecture-Engineering-Planning conducted an engineering report on the Fire Hall in years past.

OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Dave Hazelton, an Emergency Medical Technician with the Brocton Fire Department, urged the Village Board to evaluate its options to fix the roof of the Brocton Fire Hall.

The decision for the Village now comes down to whether to fix the roof or to seek alternatives. The Village Board explored merging with Portland for a shared fire department, but Portland was not interested. The Village will evaluate the cost of fixing the roof, which is considered a tricky fix due to the location of the area in question. Hazelton estimated the section of the building where the ceiling fell to be over 100 years old.

Hazelton said the issue is especially important to address soon because of heavy snow and low temperatures adding to the risk of a potential collapse. Trustee Drew Ransom stated his worry for the safety of members of the Fire Department going in and out of a building with a roof that is potentially dangerous.

Trustee Brandy Smith, a member of the department, said, “We can’t keep pushing it off. It’s been pushed off for 10 years. How much longer is it going to be until it starts affecting the rest of the fire department? It’s all one attached roof. I would assume that eventually, it’s going to go onto the side that we need as a fire department.”

Instead of fixing the roof, the Village could look to build a new fire hall. The cost of that, however, would likely be well over $1 million. Ransom said the Village should at least consider the possibility of building a new fire hall, as it could be “more cost effective in the long run.”

Mayor Craig Miller, also a member of the department, plans to meet with Assemblyman Andrew Molitor in the coming weeks. Miller said the issue of the fire hall is at the top of his list.

“We have to start looking. We need a plan,” Smith said. “We need that building. We have nowhere else for our department to go.”

The Brocton Fire Department is also in need of a new tanker. The Village is in preparation for bidding for the new truck, with action on the matter expected in January.

The Brocton Fire Department responded to 412 calls this year, including 24 calls in the month of November. That is not far off from other years, as the department responded to 415 calls in 2023.

The Village Board recently approved two new members for the department. Roughly 40 volunteers serve as part of the Brocton Fire Department.

Also of note in the Village, regarding code enforcement, six violation letters were sent and four permits were issued during the month of November. The Village is in the process of pursuing litigation against properties that are consistently in disrepair.

Water Supervisor Rich Lewis was authorized to purchase more than $100,000 in upgrades and emergency replacements at the Brocton Wastewater Treatment Plant. The Brocton-Portland Water Department has also recently purchased a new truck with funds available to the department. A new employee has also been hired to replace an outgoing water operator.