Beecher Fire District officials are confident an end is in sight to the persistent leaks and station roof issues that have plagued the district since its remodel and expansion in 2020.
After the latest leak turned into a major, costly fiasco, authorities invited contractors RC Wegman and FGMA to the Nov. 20 board meeting to discuss current issues and gain insight into updated recommendations for resolving them.
“I think we're a little disappointed on the board itself and with the chief as well that it wasn't resolved. It just seemed to be an ongoing issue, just seemed to be a disappointment to us, at a cost that obviously isn't in our budget,” President Margie Cook told representatives, who were sympathetic to the district's problems.
“You shouldn’t have to pay for it twice,” noted Jason Estes, vice president of architectural firm FGMA.
The board discussed with the contractors what went wrong and what changed in the finished project – essentially how things got to where they were.
In June 2023, the district discovered that vents had never been installed in the original plans, contributing to the moisture and water problems. Despite some fixes, the problems persisted.
Estes explained that while the roof was built to code, he could not explain why the conditioned and unconditioned air in the two spaces, the original building and the addition, were not communicating the way they should, and suspected it could be due to short cycles and wind.
Fire Chief Joe Falaschetti said the full-time superintendent should have recognized the problems they were facing, and Wegman wholeheartedly agreed. Vice President Perry Wegman of RC Wegman said at the meeting his company will waive some costs for new repairs.
On paper, the roof's ventilation and airflow should have been adequate, the contractors said.
Although Estes said he didn't know exactly why the air wasn't flowing as it should, he was confident the independent roofing expert's opinion would resolve the problems.
“They would like to increase the ventilation to almost 50 percent to address any issues, which is more than the code requires,” Estes explained.
Establishing “overcommunication” between the two rooms would require making nearly 100 cuts in the roof, which Estes and Wegman were confident would solve the problems.
Trustees Dave Kolosh and Mike Waterman asked why those original cuts were not part of the original plan and how they could verify that the new cuts would be made.
Wegman advised making sure the new roof cuts were documented for the board since the original ones were not.
Board members asked what happens if a contractor falls through the ceiling and the damage needs to be repaired. Wegman said they would look into it, but Waterman wanted to see it in writing, with board approval.
Despite the district's disappointment over the roof problems, board members and district officials Perry Wegman and Jason Estes expressed appreciation for their willingness to remedy the situation and for their responsiveness to the board.
The board authorized Falaschetti to make a final decision on moving forward with a proposal, which would be determined after further discussion and negotiations.
Additionally, the board approved an ordinance allowing the district to accept credit and debit card payments; This will be beneficial for those seeking CPR training and other paid programs.
Falaschetti told the board that due to delays, installation of the new LED sign will not occur until January.
Deputy Chief Tim McGannon reported he attended the Romeoville Fire Academy's Chief's Day and was informed that the district's candidates were doing well. As of Nov. 20, the district responded to 63 emergency medical calls.
Overall, Falaschetti's report shows that the district has responded to 1,041 emergency calls of all types so far in 2025.
The district looks forward to providing more reliable data and analytics related to incident statistics and response times as it fully transitions to ImageTrend software.
Beecher vehicle and equipment maintenance is ongoing; Truck 44 was reportedly undergoing maintenance and Engine 44 was back in service after a coolant line rupture in late November. Some smaller equipment is out of service for service repairs.
Assistant Superintendent Michael Heusing reported that the district completed nearly 500 hours of training in November, bringing the total to more than 9,703 hours of training for the year.
District Accountant James Howard reviewed the finances in a presentation and noted that the district “still looks good” in terms of overall revenue and expenses. Howard noted that investment rates are also in solid shape, although returns will be lower due to the Fed's rate cuts.
The board approved the budget, tax levy and general obligation bond tax abatement. All these points were discussed in detail at the last meeting. Additionally, the board approved the renewal of IPRF workers' compensation insurance.
The district has had no workers' compensation claims in the last three years, so the multiplier has decreased.
Grants from Earthrise and FM Global are still pending, although two requested FEMA grants have not been awarded. The district is working on a grant application for IL OSFM Small Tools.
The district received another donation of a pallet of water from Wesco, which will be stored in equipment coolers and at the training tower.
On November 7, the district requested the donation of a mobile roof ventilation training aid from Lennar Homes. Because the district does not charge developers an impact fee, the fire district relies on its budget, grants and donations to fund valuable training equipment. The district is currently awaiting a decision.
Attorney John Motylinski advised the Board on legislative updates related to FOIA and OMA requirements. No meetings can be held on Election Day, and starting January 1, all FOIA requests sent via email must be included in the body of the email and not in an attachment. This measure is intended to prevent hackers from breaking into government IT systems.
The district is continuing with its pre-incident plans for larger buildings in the district. Falaschetti reported the district discovered an access issue with an alarm at Beecher Elementary School that required a numeric code that no one had; They requested that the maintenance manager work with their alarm company to switch to keypad access instead.
Lt. Carm Welsh is continuing work on the Learn Not to Burn program at Beecher Elementary School, and the district is awaiting available appointments from the village administrator and construction superintendent to provide CPR training for town hall and construction staff, Falaschetti's report said.
Falaschetti also reported that the district will no longer provide transport to Munster Community Hospital due to ongoing problems; Munster withdrew from its Region 7 Associated Hospital status in early 2024 and will no longer replace emergency supplies, linens or medications. Instead, two closer hospitals can be used.
On December 6, the district will host four local Project Fire Buddies families for a Christmas party at the fire station.
Stephanie Irvine is a freelance reporter.