Bids Due This Week for Repairs to Miller Library Fire Alarm System

The town is expected this week to have bids in for repairs to the fire alarm system at Miller Memorial Library after is was found to have "numerous deficiencies," according to officials.

"In conducting independent inspections of alarm systems in town buildings, the fire alarm system at the Miller Memorial Library Complex was found to have numerous deficiencies by the Town's alarm monitoring company," Chief Administrative Officer Curt Balzano Leng.

Upon the recommendation of Fire Chief David Berardesca, a firefighter is now stationed at the library during the hours it is open until the repairs are made.

"The Mayor, Fire Chief and Fire Marshals worked together to address the safety and code compliance issues by following the Fire Department's recommendation of a Fire Watch patrolling the building when open," Leng said, "while simultaneously working with the Purchasing Agent to secure a company to compete any and all repairs and installation work required to be get the facility fully code complaint.

"The town hopes to have three independent quotes for this work submitted by mid-week and work will commence expeditiously after that," he said. "The mayor's primary goal is making the building safer and code compliant as soon as humanely possible.
"The town is also conducting an investigation of the situation and the deficient system to determine how this could have happened," he said. "This investigation is a multi-departmental effort, including the Hamden Police and Fire Departments."

It's not the first time the fire alarm system has become a point of contention. It was installed five years ago by Pull Stations, a company owned by the wife of then-Fire Marshal Brian Badamo, who resigned after the connection surfaced. 

The New Haven Register's late reporter Ann DeMatteo reported extensively on the issue when it surfaced three years ago. Here she reported that Pull Stations was paid $170,000 to install the system in 2008, when Badamo failed to report his connection to the company. Badamo resigned two years ago after a six-month investigation.