City Contracts to Replace Fire Hydrants

The City Council last week approved a contract with the East Rockaway-based Sigelock Spartan, one of three firms that bid to replace fire hydrants in Long Beach.

The city will pay between $2,761 to $2,822 per hydrant to replace about 60 hydrants that may fail due mainly to corrosion, said public works Commissioner Jim LaCarrubba. The council voted 4-0 on the resolution at the July 17 meeting, as Councilman Michael Fagen abstained.

Before the vote, James Lynch, a Walks resident, questioned the quality and cost of the new hydrants. “I’m not sure they’ve been tested fully because it’s a prototype, and they seem very expensive,” he said.

LaCarrubba said that the new hydrants require lower maintenance than existing hydrants because their parts are more durable, and they come with a 20-year warranty. “You may pay a little more up front but you have a reliable hydrant,” he said. 

LaCarrubba and City Manager Jack Schnirman said that the city’s superintendent of water recommended the new hydrants and that paid and volunteer firefighters had tested them. “It was universally understood that there was no comparison in terms of the quality of the parts,” Schnirman said.

Schnirman said he learned that the amount of time and money the city spends on maintaining some existing fire hydrants is “tremendous.” LaCarrubba explained that the main problem with the city's existing fire hydrants is that their iron corrodes more quickly in Long Beach’s salt-air environment, and some started to show problems within five years of use. 

Lynch didn't believe the cost and lifespan comparisons between the new and existing hydrants were adequately explained during the meeting. “We should very closely look at everything from top to bottom on everything that we do, because it doesn’t seem that that’s exactly happening,” he said. “…This is the question that goes back and forth all the time. Someone says this is a good thing. Well, why is it a good thing? Is it cost effective to us?”

Resident Lucy Centeno challenged the need for the new hydrants on her stated premise: “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it." She questioned whether it was worth it for the city to spend on new hydrants now when the city is $10 million in debt. She asked for specific numbers on the cost comparison between the new and existing hydrants. 

LaCarruba said that the there is roughly about a $700 difference in price between the hydrants, and noted that bid was not to replace all the city’s 600 hydrants, but rather just those that fail and are beyond repair.

“The water department has identified about 60 hydrants that they have real concerns with, that they could fail in the event of a fire,” he said. Repair kits for these failing hydrants can cost up to $1,000, and the man-hours to fix them add to the expenses to maintain them.

LaCarruba said that as many as 20 hydrants could be replaced this year.