On the agenda

1. 1Call to Order - Roll Call▶ 0:00
2. 2

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   Presentation on Fire Station No. 2 Replacement Project

   discussed

   Staff and consultants from Fleischman Garcia presented a detailed analysis supporting replacement of Fire Station No. 2, recommending a new two-bay drive-through station at Marine Parkway and Grand Boulevard on city-owned property. The presentation covered response time standards (NFPA 1710), ISO ratings, call volume data, deficiencies of the existing High Street station, and proposed funding via a USDA urban loan/grant. The item was a presentation/discussion seeking council input on how to proceed.

   📍6121 High Street📍Main and Madison📍Marine Parkway and Grand Boulevard📍Pine Hill Road📍Trouble Creek Road East📍US Highway 19🏢Fleischman Garcia Architects🏢Pasco County Fire Rescue🏢USDA👤Chief Darkin👤Chief Fitch👤Debbie👤Jeff Pelzinski👤John Kelly#2019 call volume: 4,836 total calls#Annexation project (impact on service area)#Fire Station No. 2 Replacement Project#Former community hospital site VA outpatient facility proposal#ISO Public Protection Class rating (currently 3, targeting 2)#NFPA 1710 four-minute response time standard#USDA urban loan/grant funding mechanism

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   [00:00:11] The only item on the agenda appears [00:00:13] to be a presentation on the Fire Station 2 replacement project. [00:00:17] All right, thank you, Mr. Mayor. [00:00:20] The purpose of the discussion this evening [00:00:23] is to present facts to you, and additionally, [00:00:28] to bring you up to date on processes that have occurred. [00:00:33] Disappointingly, I must advise you [00:00:36] that these discussions have spanned [00:00:39] a five-year period of time. [00:00:42] That's OK. [00:00:44] But there were variables that impacted the schedule, one [00:00:50] of which was the annexation project [00:00:54] that the city initiated, which would [00:00:57] have had a direct impact on our service area, [00:01:02] and as such, played a role in some of the discussion that [00:01:08] took place and will need additional impact from you [00:01:12] as to whether or not a city our size is appropriately [00:01:17] served by one station or two stations. [00:01:20] The other factor that delayed the planning for this project [00:01:29] dealt with a proposal that was to establish an outpatient VA [00:01:37] facility at the former community hospital site. [00:01:41] That certainly would have been a driver for service [00:01:46] and would impact our decision as to whether or not [00:01:51] one or two stations is what we should go with [00:01:55] and in what locations they were best situated. [00:02:01] The two things that we stayed firm [00:02:05] with in our deliberations related to our ISO rating [00:02:12] and additionally the NFPA 1710 standard, which in short [00:02:19] is that we want our response times to residents in this city [00:02:25] and members of the business community [00:02:27] to be four minutes or less. [00:02:29] We're trained for it. [00:02:31] It's more than appropriate to provide that. [00:02:35] And we do provide that consistently. [00:02:40] Additionally, the ISO rating for the folks at home that [00:02:47] might not recognize what it is, is a public protection class [00:02:53] basically, which determines a risk variable for property [00:02:59] and for casualty insurance purposes. [00:03:02] Our current rating is a three. [00:03:06] The highest rating is a one. [00:03:08] And the lowest rating is a 10. [00:03:10] So although our fire department resources and staff [00:03:17] are a variable in the determination of our ISO [00:03:22] standard, there are other factors as well. [00:03:25] The water supply system is a major factor, [00:03:31] representing about 40% of a total vote. [00:03:34] Our communication system is 10%. [00:03:39] And we also have an opportunity for some extra credit points, [00:03:44] so to speak, in terms of community risk reductions. [00:03:51] So in looking at the options, those [00:03:57] are two things that are important for us [00:04:00] to either retain or improve without question. [00:04:04] We're pretty close to a two in our ISO rating. [00:04:08] I believe it's achievable. [00:04:10] And we would like to pursue that standard [00:04:16] in our next round of analysis, at which time [00:04:23] the ISO professionals come in and rate us. [00:04:28] I have asked Chief Fitch to present to you [00:04:33] a little bit of information about the city. [00:04:37] We have representatives from Fleischman Garcia. [00:04:41] And we're going to ask them to join us up front, [00:04:43] if you would, gentlemen. [00:04:45] And I'll allow you to introduce yourselves. [00:04:48] And then we'll get started with this part of the presentation. [00:04:54] At the conclusion of tonight's exchange, [00:04:58] I'm hopeful to receive some input from you [00:05:02] on how to go forward with the project. [00:05:06] Three minutes? [00:05:08] Just three minutes? [00:05:09] That's going to be tough. [00:05:10] I'll try. [00:05:12] OK, thank you, Mayor and Council. [00:05:17] Start with the first slide, some basic demographics of the city. [00:05:20] The city is comprised of 4.6 square miles, [00:05:22] population of 15,863. [00:05:26] Fire department responds to nearly 5,000 calls a year. [00:05:30] And we respond out of two fire stations. [00:05:33] We have an operating staff of 21. [00:05:36] And the medical facilities within the city, [00:05:38] we have eight nursing homes, one inpatient hospital, [00:05:41] 19 total assisted living facilities, 3,746 businesses [00:05:49] in the city, based on the number of active business tax [00:05:52] receipts, seven motels and four schools. [00:05:55] If you'll allow me, Chief, I should [00:05:58] have mentioned the fact that the city currently operates [00:06:02] two fire stations, both of which are in a depreciated condition. [00:06:06] And as part of the project, we need [00:06:11] to embrace some new industry standards [00:06:15] to make sure that we're providing a safe work [00:06:17] environment. [00:06:18] And we also have in mind that the folks that [00:06:23] report to our fire stations live there. [00:06:26] And we want to provide an appropriate standard of living [00:06:29] as well. [00:06:35] In terms of comparable cities that we've [00:06:37] identified in Florida, and based on square mileage comparisons, [00:06:44] population comparisons, call volume comparisons, [00:06:48] and fire station comparisons, we are not alone [00:06:52] with operating out of two fire stations being a small city. [00:06:55] So the closest comparable that we have is Safety Harbor. [00:06:59] They're at 5.06 square miles, 16,844 population, [00:07:05] just over 5,000 calls a year, two fire stations. [00:07:08] And they also provide the same level [00:07:10] of service, which is an advanced life support non-transport [00:07:13] service. [00:07:15] I'm not going to go over all these. [00:07:16] I just want to highlight a few. [00:07:18] St. Pete Beach is another one. [00:07:20] They're only 2.02 square miles of land. [00:07:26] Excuse me, they operate out of two fire stations. [00:07:29] And the reason why is they face some of the same challenges [00:07:32] that we face that I'm going to go over with you in two slides [00:07:36] forward here. [00:07:37] You'll notice on down Longwood Beach, Highlandale Beach, [00:07:40] Maitland City, their staffing levels [00:07:44] are quite larger in comparison than the other cities [00:07:48] on that slide. [00:07:49] And that's mainly in large part due to the fact [00:07:51] that they provide transport services. [00:07:55] We should note for you at this time, or not for you, [00:08:00] but for people that may be watching at home, [00:08:03] that the city does not provide transport service. [00:08:06] We have a very bifurcated system of service delivery [00:08:11] as it relates to EMS service. [00:08:15] And both the county and the city respond to EMS calls. [00:08:22] The city, though, is 99% of the time are very close to that. [00:08:29] The first responder on the scene and starts [00:08:33] to administer whatever treatment is appropriate [00:08:37] before the county responds. [00:08:40] And the county is, though, the responsible party [00:08:43] for transport. [00:08:48] This next slide illustrates the same cities in the same order. [00:08:53] The first, the light blue section, [00:08:55] illustrates the number of fire stations. [00:08:57] The yellow indicates the number of personnel. [00:09:00] So on that list, you can see New Port Richey [00:09:03] is the first one at the top, identified [00:09:05] having the fewest number of staff, line staff on duty [00:09:10] for two fire stations. [00:09:15] Some of the challenges that I mentioned earlier, [00:09:19] response time challenges. [00:09:21] In the city, we only have one multi-lane road, [00:09:23] which is US Highway 19, which is very congested, especially [00:09:27] during rush hour times. [00:09:28] We have a river that runs through the city, [00:09:30] creating limited access points to response locations. [00:09:35] We have limited access west from both stations, [00:09:38] utilizing Gulf Drive and Main Street. [00:09:41] We have limited access north and south, [00:09:43] utilizing Madison, Grand, and US Highway 19. [00:09:48] We have no direct access to the north end of the city. [00:09:51] Heavy congestion on two-lane roads, [00:09:53] tight lanes reducing maneuverability and speed, [00:09:57] and school zones immediately around both stations. [00:10:00] Chief, why don't you identify what the locations are [00:10:04] of the current station? [00:10:06] So the current station, the main station, [00:10:10] Station 1, is at Main and Madison. [00:10:12] And Station 2 is on High Street in a residential neighborhood. [00:10:17] This next slide identifies travel distances. [00:10:22] The purpose of this slide is to point out some variables [00:10:28] when it comes to mileage and just normal drive time. [00:10:32] This is not an emergency response. [00:10:35] So, for an example, Station 1, to get to Pine Hill Road, [00:10:39] where Public Works Facility is, that's only two miles away, [00:10:41] but it takes about two and a half hours to get there. [00:10:44] To get to Pine Hill Road, where Public Works Facility is, [00:10:47] that's only two miles away, [00:10:48] but it takes five minutes to drive there. [00:10:51] And mainly due to the fact that it's a two-lane road. [00:10:54] To get there, you're driving through a school zone, [00:10:57] depending on the time of day, and normal traffic patterns [00:11:03] on down the line there. [00:11:04] Trouble Creek East, which is the furthest part [00:11:07] southeast of the city, it takes eight minutes to drive there, [00:11:10] and it's only 2.7 miles. [00:11:13] It's only 3.4 miles to the same Public Works Facility. [00:11:19] It takes eight minutes to drive there. [00:11:21] Trouble Creek Road East, in that zone, is 1.9 miles, [00:11:24] and it takes five minutes to drive there. [00:11:31] So, now with those same scenarios, [00:11:34] let's talk response time. [00:11:35] So, in 2019, the Fire Department responded [00:11:39] to a total of 4,836 calls for service. [00:11:44] In Station 1, we responded to 2,976 calls. [00:11:49] In Station 1 zone, we had an average response time [00:11:53] of four minutes and 22 seconds to all calls [00:11:56] in Station 1 zone, all emergency calls. [00:11:58] In Station 2 zone, we responded to 1,860 calls, [00:12:03] and we had an average response time [00:12:04] of four minutes and 25 seconds. [00:12:07] So, let's say that we did away with Fire Station 2 [00:12:11] and we only had Station 1. [00:12:13] It would take, on an average, it took, [00:12:15] we ran the numbers, six to six and a half minutes [00:12:18] to respond to Trouble Creek Road East, [00:12:21] where we have two large churches in that area [00:12:23] that have large assemblies on the weekends. [00:12:28] And then, as opposed to Station 2, [00:12:30] it takes six and a half to seven minutes, on an average, [00:12:33] to respond to US-19 North. [00:12:38] And again, NFPA 1710 states the response time [00:12:41] for the first unit shall be four minutes or less. [00:12:44] And I'd also like to point out that 75% of those calls [00:12:47] are medical-related in nature, and 25% are fire-related. [00:12:54] And why are response times so important in the fire service? [00:12:59] There's numerous reasons. [00:13:00] There's numerous reasons that they're significant. [00:13:03] In four to six minutes without life-saving care initiated, [00:13:09] clinical brain death begins to occur. [00:13:12] At eight to 10 minutes without life-saving care initiated, [00:13:17] clinical brain death occurs. [00:13:20] In structure fires, every minute, [00:13:23] the fire doubles in size. [00:13:27] So, one of the advantages of having, [00:13:30] obviously, the advantages of life-saving capabilities [00:13:35] when it comes to medical, but on the fire part as well, [00:13:39] we arrive so quick to the majority of our structure fires [00:13:42] where we're able to make an offensive attack [00:13:45] and contain that fire to what we call rooming contents [00:13:48] before it gets to the point where it expands [00:13:51] into the whole structure or to an exposure building. [00:14:01] This next slide is a flame density map, [00:14:06] and this illustrates, it's a heat map [00:14:09] that shows a call volume density given the narrow roads. [00:14:12] All four corners of the city would be affected [00:14:14] by increased response time by a central station. [00:14:17] So, you can see the Fire Station 1 here, [00:14:22] Fire Station 2 here, and the large density of calls [00:14:27] that surround the whole city. [00:14:30] There's a large call volume here right by Station 1. [00:14:33] There's a large call volume here in Station 1 zone. [00:14:36] Station 2 also has some large call volumes [00:14:39] along Highway 19 and over in here. [00:14:43] So, one central fire station, in my opinion, [00:14:48] just doesn't make sense with the call volume [00:14:51] scattered throughout the whole city. [00:14:54] Significant call factors in the city. [00:15:00] We are nursing homes, assisted living facilities, medical facilities, schools, Southgate Plaza, [00:15:05] Highway 19. [00:15:06] Of the 5,000, roughly 5,000 calls last year, 917 calls were to assisted living facilities. [00:15:15] 195 calls were to medical facilities, 73 calls were to schools, and there were 701 responses [00:15:26] to Highway 19. [00:15:28] And of those 700 calls to Highway 19, a lot of those are critical in nature with the traffic [00:15:35] patterns that we have on that road. [00:15:42] This slide is a deployment analysis of our existing fire station locations. [00:15:48] Again, Station 1 is here, Station 2 is here. [00:15:52] This illustrates, ISO credits the percentage of the built upon area of the city within [00:15:57] 1.5 miles of a first two engine company. [00:16:01] So the areas that you see in yellow are the only areas that are outside of the 1.5 mile [00:16:08] cones for each station, which correlates with a four minute response time. [00:16:21] If we went to one central fire station, the areas in yellow would greatly increase. [00:16:27] As you can see down in Station 2's zone, there would be a significant amount of the city [00:16:35] that would be outside of that 1.5 mile cone, which would increase our response times and [00:16:42] decrease the level of service that we're providing to the community. [00:16:51] Next slide illustrates the current location of Fire Station 1 here, and the proposed location [00:16:58] of Fire Station 2 at Marine Park, Wayne Grand. [00:17:01] You can see the amount of the yellow area along Highway 19 disappears. [00:17:08] We still have a little bit of area up here in the industrial park and along Trouble Creek. [00:17:16] This scenario allows us to provide emergency services at the highest level with this service [00:17:27] delivery scenario maintaining and improving response times to high call volume areas and [00:17:32] critical calls of the city. [00:17:34] We'll maintain ISO credits for deployment analysis. [00:17:40] The next slide illustrates the flood zones, and the proposed location is right around [00:17:47] in here, which is in the optimal location of an X, and this location has an elevation [00:17:56] of 20 feet. [00:18:01] The replacement station at Marine Park, Wayne Grand has a proposed that has an elevation [00:18:06] of 20 feet. [00:18:13] Next slide illustrates the proposed location at Marine Park, Wayne Grand with a mile and [00:18:21] a half cone showing the response coverage area for Fire Station 2. [00:18:32] Next slide illustrates Fire Station 2 and Fire Station 1. [00:18:43] This next slide shows the county fire stations as well as the municipal fire stations, ours [00:18:52] including New Port Richey. [00:18:54] Our two stations are here in red, New Port Richey is in green, and the Pasco County fire stations [00:19:00] are in blue. [00:19:02] The closest one to our service area is Station 19, and I'd like to point out that they cover [00:19:07] all the way north to Hudson on structure fires and all the way south to Holiday on structure [00:19:13] fires. [00:19:19] On a structure fire, the mile and a half is for first due. [00:19:24] The structure fires, you're going to get multiple stations that respond to those calls, so if [00:19:28] a structure fire occurred in Holiday, the first due engine would be a mile and a half [00:19:32] away, which would be engine 12, and engine 19 would follow suit and complete that response. [00:19:41] If we had a structure fire in New Port Richey, would they still dispatch it all the way to [00:19:45] Hudson and leave us in the dark? [00:19:47] I'm sorry? [00:19:48] If we had a structure fire in New Port Richey, would they still dispatch theirs to a fire [00:19:54] they had in Hudson and not serve us first? [00:19:59] Yeah, so we're responsible for the city and they're responsible for the county. [00:20:05] Now I don't know if I understand your question correctly, but if we had a structure fire [00:20:09] in the city and we called mutual aid for the county, we would get the closest unit [00:20:16] or the closest station in the county to respond to our mutual aid fire. [00:20:19] If they're at a fire in Hudson or Holiday, the computer-aided dispatch is going to show [00:20:27] the dispatcher the closest unit and that's who we'll get. [00:20:37] Fire station 2, 6121 High Street, this station was erected in 1974, it's a one bay, just [00:20:46] over 3,000 square foot station, daily staffing level is two to three, it's a one bay station [00:20:52] again that only houses one engine company. [00:20:55] The challenge with this building and location, the station's in poor condition and is in [00:21:00] the worst condition of our two fire stations. [00:21:04] I've been told that this station has been projected to be replaced long before I got [00:21:09] here as fire chief and a lot of the repairs that have been done to this station have been [00:21:17] reactive in nature, so the roof's leaking, fix the roof. [00:21:22] The door doesn't work, fix the door. [00:21:24] Not a lot of funding has been put into this building to maintain it due to the fact that [00:21:29] it's always been due to be replaced. [00:21:35] The biggest challenge that we have with this station is the location. [00:21:37] It's located in a residential neighborhood, it sits two-tenths of a mile from Madison [00:21:42] Street. [00:21:43] Madison Street is the main travel artery, so every response, almost every response, [00:21:49] they're going to respond west of Madison Street, so that adds to the response time. [00:21:54] The main travel artery is through a school zone and there's no direct route to the west [00:22:00] response zone, so although some of Highway 19 is in Station 2's response zone, they [00:22:06] have to zigzag to get there, so that's one of the challenges that we have with this station. [00:22:14] In addition to the fact that we can't accommodate any additional growth at that location, and [00:22:22] we'll let Fleischman and Garcia handle a little bit more of that discussion. [00:22:28] Fire Station 1 was erected in 1964. [00:22:34] There was an addition added on to and a renovation in 1993, which I'll show you on the next slide. [00:22:40] It's a three bay, 7,200 square foot station that has a daily staffing level of three to [00:22:45] four firefighters and one district chief. [00:22:48] The equipment housed out of that station is an engine company, a ladder truck, and a district [00:22:54] chief, a reserve engine, a U-Star trailer, and an ATV that we use for special events. [00:23:03] The addition and renovation in 1993, pictured in the slide, is the living quarters and the [00:23:08] two-story part of the building that you see in both of these slides. [00:23:16] Replacements to the station in recent times has been a total roof replacement in 2019. [00:23:24] New speakers throughout the station in 2019. [00:23:28] The exterior of the building was painted in 2016. [00:23:32] The kitchen and living quarters remodeled and updated by our firefighters in 2015, and [00:23:37] a new HVA system in 2013. [00:23:45] So a lot of our firefighters, as you know, are pretty handy, and they did a lot of the [00:23:51] labor work while they were on duty, as far as installing floor tiles, and Chief Darkin [00:23:57] probably could get into more detail. [00:24:00] He was here when that all happened. [00:24:05] So that saved the city quite a bit of money and labor. [00:24:12] Some of the main advantages for Fire Station 2 proposed location of Marine Parkway in Grand [00:24:16] is a city-owned property. [00:24:19] It allows for quick access to Highway 19 corridor utilizing Marine Parkway, improving response [00:24:25] times to that area. [00:24:27] Again, in 2019, we responded to over 700 calls on Highway 19 and 345 calls to the west side [00:24:33] of Highway 19. [00:24:36] This location allows for planning for the future. [00:24:38] It provides a better service to any annexation possibilities west of Highway 19 and also [00:24:44] beneficial if the city pursues and acquires transport in the future. [00:24:48] It allows for quick north and south response utilizing Grand Boulevard. [00:24:53] It will decrease response times to the Fire Station 2 zones. [00:24:57] Utilities are available on site. [00:24:59] There's a halopad on the campus, and the station will consist of, Fleishman Garcia will go [00:25:04] into more detail of the scope of the project. [00:25:07] It consists of a two-bay drive-through fire station which meets current needs, industry [00:25:12] standards and allows for future growth. [00:25:17] One of the, in closing, one of the most challenging and concerning parts about being Fire Chief [00:25:25] is knowing that our fire stations fall short of meeting industry standards in some aspects. [00:25:30] I hope that I have established the need for two fire stations and the need to replace [00:25:35] Fire Station 2 while emphasizing the importance of response times to all areas of the city. [00:25:41] Having two fire stations in the locations discussed tonight ensures we are providing [00:25:45] emergency services at the highest level, meeting the four-minute response time standard that [00:25:50] our citizens deserve. [00:25:53] That's all I have. [00:25:59] Fleishman Garcia has a PowerPoint, I understand, that we can go into. [00:26:08] What the Chief is suggesting is that the best use of funds is to replace Fire Station 2. [00:26:18] You may look to me at some point and ask, how much is that going to cost and do we have [00:26:26] the money? [00:26:27] And Fleishman Garcia will introduce what they think probable construction costs are and [00:26:34] I will tell you that if the project is approved by you, it's the city's intent to apply to [00:26:45] the USDA for an urban loan, which is both a loan and a grant. [00:26:53] The last time that we had conversations with representatives from the USDA, they're indicating [00:27:02] that based on our demographics, the likelihood is that we would receive a 25% grant and the [00:27:10] rest would be a low-interest loan. [00:27:12] And that is what I'm proposing to you as the funding mechanism to implement the necessary [00:27:18] improvements. [00:27:20] We're ready for the space analysis. [00:27:24] Yes, and we didn't introduce ourselves. [00:27:28] I'm Jeff Pelzinski from Fleishman Garcia Architects. [00:27:31] And I'm John Kelly with Fleishman Garcia. [00:27:34] I've been directly responsible for all of our fire rescue design for the last 25 years. [00:27:38] You might as well pull the mics closer so they can hear you. [00:27:41] Okay. [00:27:42] Thank you. [00:27:43] You can borrow Adams on the other side. [00:27:44] And as Debbie mentioned, we've been working on this project, it's one form or another, [00:27:53] since 2015. [00:27:55] So we've got quite a lot of experience with the needs of the city. [00:28:00] I think we've boiled it down to a solution that is really the best fit for the city, [00:28:07] the city's needs today, and what we understand the city's future needs to be. [00:28:14] One of the most important things we did is we sat down with Chief Fitch and Debbie Manns [00:28:21] and came up with what you see on the screen right now. [00:28:26] This is a facilities program. [00:28:30] This is anticipating a brand new replacement for fire station number two. [00:28:36] And instead of telling them what we think they needed, we went through and worked with them [00:28:41] and got a list of the rooms, the spaces that they needed, that they felt they needed, [00:28:47] and we helped them assign square footages to that, and basically came up with a building [00:28:54] with a total gross floor area of 8,741 square feet. [00:29:01] After you just saw Chief Fitch's presentation on stations number one, [00:29:06] existing station number one and existing station number two, [00:29:10] that 8,700 square foot number seems a lot larger than the two existing stations you have now. [00:29:16] There are several reasons for that. [00:29:19] Number one, the apparatus bay is significantly larger than that in the existing station number two. [00:29:27] This would allow for more than just one piece of apparatus to be squeezed into a very tight apparatus bay [00:29:34] like you have right now. [00:29:36] This would allow for future growth in the station itself. [00:29:42] It also allows for what we call a drive-through bay scenario. [00:29:47] Instead of the trucks being backed into the station every day, every time they go in and out, [00:29:53] and they go in and out more than just for a call. [00:29:58] They go out for morning turnout. [00:30:00] to go out for maintenance purposes. [00:30:02] So every time the vehicle's moved in and out, [00:30:04] if it's backed in, it's highly susceptible to damage. [00:30:09] So by having a drive-through bay scenario, [00:30:12] when the truck goes out on a call, [00:30:15] it drives forward where the driver can actually see [00:30:18] where he's going through an appropriately sized [00:30:20] 14-foot wide apparatus bay door. [00:30:24] When they return to the station, again, [00:30:26] they just drive through the back of the station [00:30:29] into the apparatus bay. [00:30:31] They really don't have to back up at all, [00:30:33] and that's where the bulk of damage [00:30:35] to very expensive fire apparatus happens. [00:30:39] The bay is not only two bays wide, [00:30:43] but it's 65 feet deep, allowing, for instance, [00:30:47] a reserve vehicle to be placed in one of the bays, [00:30:51] making for future growth in this area [00:30:54] in the southern part of the city possible [00:30:58] and this would be the very best time [00:31:02] to build the extra space [00:31:04] when you're building the new station. [00:31:07] We have a lot of fire districts think [00:31:10] that they can build the minimal size apparatus bay now [00:31:13] and just add on to it later. [00:31:15] Anytime you add on a space like that, [00:31:18] you're gonna pay a premium for it. [00:31:20] So in our experience, and we've had quite a lot [00:31:25] of experience with fire stations, [00:31:27] if you anticipate future growth at all, [00:31:31] the time to build it is when you're doing the station [00:31:34] in the beginning. [00:31:36] There's also several other features [00:31:39] in a modern fire station [00:31:40] that neither of your existing stations have. [00:31:43] These involve things like decontamination rooms, [00:31:48] appropriately sized bunk rooms. [00:31:51] Both the fire stations you have now [00:31:53] are have what we call bunk dorms [00:31:57] where you have beds, bunk beds in some cases, [00:32:00] all in one big space. [00:32:03] This may have been fine at one time [00:32:06] when firefighters were primarily only males. [00:32:11] That's not the case anymore. [00:32:14] It may have also been fine [00:32:15] when firefighters were basically a volunteer service, [00:32:19] not living at the station 24 hours a day. [00:32:23] If, for instance, firefighters go to a call late at night, [00:32:28] they do have to sleep. [00:32:29] They are human like the rest of us. [00:32:31] They may have to sleep during the day. [00:32:33] Sleeping in a large dorm room [00:32:36] where they can't control the light [00:32:38] and the environment around them [00:32:40] is not conducive to their own health. [00:32:44] The health of firefighters has become [00:32:46] an increasingly important aspect of our design effort. [00:32:51] We try to stay current [00:32:52] with all the design parameters set forth [00:32:57] by the NFPA and other firefighting groups. [00:33:02] And having separate bunk rooms is certainly the norm. [00:33:07] It has been the norm for several years now. [00:33:10] It's nothing extravagant [00:33:12] and it's certainly something [00:33:14] we feel your firefighters deserve. [00:33:17] There's also other areas, training rooms, [00:33:21] appropriately sized kitchen, dining, day rooms. [00:33:25] These are rooms where the firefighters cook their meals. [00:33:28] Again, remember they're living there for 24, [00:33:31] actually 48 hours at a time. [00:33:34] So they have spaces to cook their meals, [00:33:36] eat their meals, relax when they're off, [00:33:41] but also do constant training. [00:33:44] So these areas are worked into the spaces [00:33:47] that we came up with. [00:33:50] There's also areas for offices that are private in nature. [00:33:57] Because of some of the rules, HIPAA rules [00:34:01] and other NFPA rules, [00:34:03] record keeping in these offices [00:34:05] must be done on a private basis. [00:34:08] So we are proposing a station office [00:34:13] for the firefighters themselves to use [00:34:15] and a captain's or district chief's office as well. [00:34:19] Exercise rooms are important. [00:34:22] These guys, more than any of us, [00:34:24] have to be in shape all the time. [00:34:27] They have to be able to maintain their physical fitness. [00:34:30] And exercise rooms are an important part of that. [00:34:35] Even the toilet shower rooms that we provide today [00:34:41] are much more spacious [00:34:45] than those in the existing stations. [00:34:48] The existing ones were designed for, [00:34:51] I'm sure, an extremely low cost budget approach [00:34:55] to hygiene, but they just don't cut it [00:35:00] in today's real world of the firefighter's life. [00:35:05] So again, the spaces that we came up with [00:35:09] were not something that we came up with in a vacuum. [00:35:13] We closely worked with chief and your city manager [00:35:19] to pare this down to what we felt [00:35:21] is the most reasonable size of a station [00:35:26] to fit your current needs and those going into the future. [00:35:31] Can I have the next slide, please? [00:35:35] We went through a variety of site analyses [00:35:40] to determine which of three sites [00:35:43] would be the best for this replacement [00:35:47] of station number two. [00:35:49] The first one you see here [00:35:51] is the existing Fire Station Two site. [00:35:54] It's on High Street and Dean. [00:35:58] And you can tell it's quite a small site. [00:36:02] And there's several problems with the site. [00:36:05] First of all, even though you have a fire station, [00:36:10] it's still on a residentially zoned site. [00:36:14] To be completely legal with your own land use zoning, [00:36:18] it would have to be rezoned. [00:36:20] Bigger problems, though, when we try to fit a station [00:36:25] consistent with the size of the program [00:36:28] that we came up with, it barely squeezes on the site, [00:36:32] for one. [00:36:34] The only way to get the apparatus bay to fit on the site [00:36:38] is to reduce the size of the bay doors [00:36:40] from 14 feet to 12 feet. [00:36:43] That makes it much more difficult for fire apparatus [00:36:46] to get in out of the apparatus bay. [00:36:49] But more importantly, the parking that you see there [00:36:52] on Dean Street, that's the only possible way [00:36:55] to get the parking on the site. [00:36:57] It's directly off of Dean Street, [00:36:59] much like the apartment buildings to the west of the site [00:37:05] have their parking. [00:37:06] Unfortunately, we spoke with your land planner, [00:37:11] your city land planner, and that it will not be legal [00:37:15] under your own city land zoning plans. [00:37:21] The other problem with this site, [00:37:23] all the roads around this area are residential in nature, [00:37:27] and they're only 20 feet wide. [00:37:29] That does not meet NFPA minimum width standards [00:37:33] of 24 feet for fire truck access. [00:37:37] We also looked at the site directly across the street, [00:37:41] across High Street from the existing Fire Station 2 site. [00:37:46] This is a current city-owned site. [00:37:48] You can tell it's an odd triangular piece of land [00:37:52] that's currently used as a park. [00:37:55] We have the same zoning problem. [00:37:58] We have the same narrow road problem. [00:38:02] And again, trying to fit the station on the site [00:38:07] with the drive-through bay scenario, [00:38:09] we could only get to 12-foot-wide [00:38:13] apparatus bay doors in there. [00:38:16] And trying to get a fire truck around the rear of the site, [00:38:21] we don't have enough space to get adequate radii [00:38:24] for the trucks to turn on the site. [00:38:28] Make a long story short, the site is just too tight [00:38:30] for the fire station to fit. [00:38:33] So we looked at this other site [00:38:34] on Grand Boulevard and Marine Parkway. [00:38:39] One of the benefits of this site [00:38:41] that Chief Fitch already noted [00:38:43] is that it actually brings Fire Station 2 [00:38:46] a little bit further to the south of the city area. [00:38:50] This allows the southern part of the city [00:38:53] to be better served by the cone [00:38:57] of one and a half mile wide. [00:39:01] One and a half mile radii. [00:39:04] This also puts the station on two major roads, [00:39:08] major roads in the context of New Port Richey, [00:39:11] which would allow service from this site [00:39:14] to get out to Highway 19 much quicker [00:39:18] than the existing Fire Station 2 site. [00:39:22] The site plan that I'm showing here [00:39:25] is a site plan study that I actually did in 2015 [00:39:30] when we took it upon ourselves to propose this site [00:39:33] as a possible site for a station. [00:39:36] The station that we're showing here [00:39:38] was a much larger station at that time. [00:39:41] This site plan was derived [00:39:43] before we went through the needs analysis with the Chief, [00:39:48] and the station is actually somewhat smaller than that. [00:39:53] At the direction of Chief and Debbie Manns, [00:39:55] we started to look at some different options [00:39:57] for laying out a station on this site. [00:40:02] Site plan two showed a straight through shot [00:40:06] at the apparatus bays, getting in from the street [00:40:11] to the north, which actually serviced the old hospital, [00:40:15] George Street, straight through the apparatus bay [00:40:18] and onto Marine Parkway. [00:40:21] The problem is that the southern part [00:40:23] of the apparatus drive there would traverse [00:40:26] a piece of property that you don't own right now, [00:40:29] and it's also an existing retention site [00:40:34] for the properties to the west. [00:40:41] Looked at another site, another version of that, [00:40:45] just by moving the parking around, [00:40:48] and it still really didn't work adequately. [00:40:51] Here we actually took the smaller building program [00:41:00] that we came up with and showed a smaller footprint [00:41:04] of the building with less parking [00:41:07] because we actually reduced the number of bunks [00:41:10] in the project and required much less parking on the site. [00:41:16] Again, this has the problem of using some site [00:41:19] that is not yours right now. [00:41:23] So we looked at another possibility of putting [00:41:26] the parking on the north side of the site [00:41:29] and lining the exit for the apparatus bay [00:41:34] with the street, I believe that's Card Street, [00:41:39] Cardinal Street, right across the funny intersection there. [00:41:45] This would work, but we decided to have a look [00:41:52] at reversing that, putting the parking on the south side [00:41:55] and moving the apparatus exit further up away [00:41:59] from the intersection of Marine Parkway and Grand. [00:42:04] We really didn't like that quite so much, [00:42:08] and this is the final site plan that we came up with. [00:42:13] This reflects the program, the 8,700 square foot program [00:42:18] that we came up with, the minimum amount of parking, [00:42:22] the apparatus drives coming out at a location [00:42:26] far enough north of Marine and Grand intersection [00:42:31] so that it wouldn't interfere [00:42:32] with that intersection's traffic. [00:42:35] So this is the site plan that we propose [00:42:40] as the final site plan for the replacement [00:42:45] of fire station number two. [00:42:48] The next slide will describe a little bit [00:42:52] of what this would cost. [00:42:54] Yeah, knowing that once we had a plan [00:42:56] that seemed to work especially well, [00:42:57] you'd certainly want to know how much money [00:42:59] should be budgeted for it. [00:43:01] We've done four new fire stations in Pasco County [00:43:04] over the last six years, so we have an unusual ability [00:43:08] to look at not only the cost of modern fire stations, [00:43:11] but fire stations right in your own county [00:43:13] where you're drawing the same sources of labor and materials [00:43:17] and we looked at our most recent Pasco County fire station [00:43:20] which was fire station number 38. [00:43:23] We looked at what that cost on a cost per square foot basis [00:43:26] when it bid in July of 1918. [00:43:29] We looked at the cost of site improvements [00:43:31] in addition to the building. [00:43:33] 2018. [00:43:34] I'm sorry, 2018. [00:43:36] Things have changed since 1918. [00:43:38] Yeah, I hope, I hope. [00:43:40] The site improvements we derived actually [00:43:43] from the cost of fire station 13 [00:43:46] because the characteristics of its site [00:43:48] more closely resembled where we build at Marine and Grand. [00:43:52] Do the math and then take care to escalate costs. [00:43:56] Construction costs are increasing [00:43:58] at a pretty formidable rate right now. [00:44:00] They're increasing based on all the data available to us [00:44:05] at a rate of about 6% per year, [00:44:08] so you need to be careful when you look [00:44:09] at the cost of construction of a previous building [00:44:15] to escalate it to when you anticipate the building bidding. [00:44:19] This graph, if you can see it, [00:44:21] where you see the bar chart accelerating [00:44:24] rather dramatically, the Turner Construction, [00:44:28] the largest construction management company in the world, [00:44:30] publishes what they call the Turner Building Cost Index [00:44:34] and this demonstrates very graphically [00:44:36] how costs are increasing and if anything, [00:44:40] they're increasing more aggressively [00:44:42] in Florida than elsewhere. [00:44:43] Nonetheless, bottom line is we adjusted the cost [00:44:46] for inflation and we believe the cost [00:44:49] of the building would be approximately $2,350,000, [00:44:55] which is about $270 a square foot. [00:45:00] That's the site improvement costs. [00:45:03] We allowed $25 per square foot. [00:45:06] That's the biggest unknown. [00:45:08] Until some soils testing is done, [00:45:10] we get geotechnical engineers out there [00:45:12] to tell us if we've got any surprises living [00:45:14] for us underground, which sometimes happen. [00:45:18] We just need to be cautious that site costs [00:45:20] can vary dramatically. [00:45:22] On recent fire stations of ours, [00:45:24] they've been all the way from $20 a square foot [00:45:26] to $70 a square foot out of the North Brandon [00:45:29] fire station, so about $2,350,000 [00:45:33] without a contingency, perhaps $2.5 million [00:45:36] to allow for the possibility of some underground [00:45:39] surprises when we get to do the soil testing. [00:45:42] But I think those numbers would build [00:45:43] that nice new station on Marine and Grand, [00:45:46] which we think is extremely well suited [00:45:48] to the city's requirements. [00:45:53] Mr. Mayor, we are not looking for a vote tonight. [00:45:57] We are looking for some input from you, though, [00:46:01] or an indication of what additional information [00:46:08] you would require in order to prepare you [00:46:12] for a future decision as to whether one station [00:46:16] or two station is best suited to serve [00:46:21] the needs of our community. [00:46:25] I have to tell you that if the answer is [00:46:29] we need to retain a two-station system, [00:46:33] that there are improvements that need to be made [00:46:36] at station one, without question. [00:46:38] We cannot perpetuate the standard that exists there. [00:46:45] So we do not have for you a cost to present [00:46:50] of what those necessary improvements would entail. [00:46:57] That's some additional work that we'll need to do [00:47:00] to present you with the information that you need. [00:47:05] If you determine that two stations are appropriate, [00:47:10] our recommendation is to replace [00:47:12] the high station location first. [00:47:16] Mr. Mayor, I agree with you. [00:47:21] Let me start by saying this is my seventh year on council, [00:47:25] and I apologize. [00:47:27] This has always been on the back burner. [00:47:29] It's something we've always been talking about. [00:47:30] I was very excited to see this work session scheduled. [00:47:33] You deserve better. [00:47:35] You put your lives on the line for our city. [00:47:37] The conditions that our firefighters live in [00:47:40] and their home away from home while they're at work [00:47:42] are deplorable, they're depressing, [00:47:45] and they deserve better. [00:47:46] And we should have addressed this [00:47:47] a long, long time ago, in my opinion. [00:47:49] So my apologies to you. [00:47:51] As part of your city leadership, [00:47:53] we should have done better, in my opinion, [00:47:55] to address this agenda item much sooner than we have. [00:48:00] I'm in favor of the second station. [00:48:02] I'm in favor of the location of the second station. [00:48:06] And in my opinion, we can't put the shovel [00:48:08] in the ground soon enough. [00:48:12] Councilman? [00:48:13] Yeah, I'll go along with that. [00:48:15] I've been here those same seven years. [00:48:17] And the only thing that kind of held me up [00:48:19] for a long time in the size of the station, [00:48:23] I always liked the location, [00:48:24] but it was whether we're gonna have a hospital there, [00:48:27] a VA hospital. [00:48:28] And so I was kind of like on hold [00:48:30] until we made that decision. [00:48:31] Well, we didn't make that decision [00:48:33] until the VA made that decision. [00:48:35] Now that VA's made that decision, [00:48:37] and I think the size of the station [00:48:39] will probably go along with what ends up going there. [00:48:42] And is there, I just have one other question. [00:48:44] Is there room there, or is there property there [00:48:47] if we did want to do an expansion of that station? [00:48:52] I'll allow Fleishman Garcia to respond to that. [00:48:56] I mean, there's probably enough geographic area on the site, [00:48:59] but expanding a fire station, [00:49:01] particularly if the potential expansion [00:49:03] were to be adding an additional bay, [00:49:05] is not easily done because it requires major modifications [00:49:08] to the roof and structural systems of the building. [00:49:11] So if you felt strongly that you think [00:49:13] you might eventually need a three-bay station, [00:49:16] my recommendation would be to try to find the money [00:49:19] and do the three bays now [00:49:21] rather than figuring out how to add it. [00:49:22] And we've already seen a three-bay study [00:49:25] that we did four and a half years ago [00:49:27] that showed the three, almost five years ago, [00:49:30] that shows- [00:49:30] I think that was it, [00:49:31] but that was what we were looking at possibly, [00:49:33] making that station number one [00:49:35] and this one down here more station number two. [00:49:37] So that's why I'm bringing that up. [00:49:39] You know, I just wondered, [00:49:41] we were looking at some changes in the city's borderlines [00:49:49] and so that would be acquiring more property and stuff, [00:49:52] but I don't think there's a major change in it, [00:49:55] but I just wondered. [00:49:57] So if we put modifications into the station one now, [00:50:01] I think we'll be all set, [00:50:02] but I just wanted to ask that. [00:50:05] Along with Jeff gets to shovel in the ground. [00:50:09] Councilman? [00:50:10] Well, I think I'm at least fortunate enough [00:50:14] to have been around long enough [00:50:15] that I was the last guy to be in office [00:50:18] when we did a major remodel [00:50:20] because we did the remodeling here at this station, [00:50:22] which was at the time pretty modern. [00:50:24] Of course, when I was in high school, [00:50:26] we all took a shower in an empty, in the same room, [00:50:29] and we had toilets lined up along the wall. [00:50:31] So we certainly have changed in the way in which we live. [00:50:35] So, you know, all of your comments are well taken [00:50:38] and it's true and the conditions I would agree [00:50:41] with my colleagues are unacceptable for us [00:50:44] to say that they meet, [00:50:46] that we could be proud to host the fine men [00:50:49] of our fire department. [00:50:51] That all being said, I also would support the progress. [00:50:57] We can't wait any longer to improve conditions. [00:50:59] It seems like the absolute best first step [00:51:03] at the same time. [00:51:06] And I think it's a good location really. [00:51:09] Trouble Creek is in our water and sewer service area. [00:51:15] Trouble Creek is to the west as a potential for expansion. [00:51:19] And I think our public works director has always said [00:51:21] that expansion to the east is probably [00:51:24] where our utilities could go. [00:51:26] Cecilia, Trouble Creek, [00:51:27] a couple of east-west corridors [00:51:31] that could be served well from where that is. [00:51:35] The other station where it's tucked in is not, [00:51:38] was never a good, never a good location [00:51:42] except that the former mayor years ago [00:51:45] lived in that community [00:51:46] and there was no bridge to cross Madison. [00:51:48] So I doubt if that bridge were there [00:51:51] that anyone would put those two stations [00:51:53] as close together as they were. [00:51:55] And when you look at your two circles [00:51:57] and you see the intersection of the sets [00:52:00] and there's so much common ground in them. [00:52:03] And then when you look at the Pasco County circles [00:52:06] and the size of our county [00:52:09] and the ability for them to be proud of their coverage, [00:52:15] their response, and I'm just going to say it. [00:52:19] And when I have approached county commissioners [00:52:21] and county leaders, the sense of superiority [00:52:27] that the county can provide better services, [00:52:31] comments have been made to me [00:52:32] that we should give our services up [00:52:35] and just let the county take over. [00:52:39] None of that's acceptable. [00:52:40] I mean, our city started with the first library. [00:52:43] The county came along later and had libraries. [00:52:45] Our city started with the first rec center. [00:52:48] The county came along later and had rec centers. [00:52:51] And all those libraries and all those rec centers [00:52:53] were supported by the people of the city in bond issues, [00:52:56] including one that just passed a year ago. [00:53:00] So our residents are paying [00:53:03] for the improvement of station 19, [00:53:06] which they're saying is going to be a major improvement [00:53:10] to allow it to be a central location [00:53:13] for them to dispatch ambulance services from. [00:53:16] My whole argument that I'm making [00:53:20] is not related to the facility that you want to build, [00:53:23] but it's related to the lack of respect [00:53:25] that I think our fire department and our city [00:53:28] gets from our county for the leadership we've shown [00:53:30] from day one in this county. [00:53:32] And I am, you know, want to be, [00:53:38] and have this council be an advocate [00:53:40] for us being fully accepted [00:53:44] into the medical response section. [00:53:47] Your comment showed 75% of the calls are medical-related. [00:53:51] Some of my off-site comments that I've heard saying [00:53:55] we have a higher density of ACLFs, [00:54:01] adult congregate facilities, nursing homes [00:54:06] than anywhere else in the county. [00:54:08] Those are a large portion, as you've described, [00:54:12] of the calls that you get. [00:54:14] They're medical-related calls. [00:54:17] All the folks here are trained to do this. [00:54:21] It is a sin that we cannot take our residents [00:54:25] to the hospital. [00:54:27] And my fight, I'm for you for building station two. [00:54:31] I hope the city expands to the point [00:54:33] where we can be as well-staffed [00:54:40] as some of the cities you've listed in your chart. [00:54:42] But if you look at the property tax valuations in our city [00:54:46] versus the tax values of St. Pete Beach [00:54:48] or some of the other safety harbor cities [00:54:50] that you've lined us up with, [00:54:53] we just can't compare to them in terms of our tax base. [00:54:58] So years ago, there was discussion [00:55:01] about fire service districts. [00:55:04] One of the arguments that was made for those [00:55:06] was that it's a service that can be, [00:55:10] that can have an assessment made to those entities [00:55:14] that are not paying their assessments now, [00:55:16] whether it's hospitals, nursing homes, public schools. [00:55:22] When you look at the calls that we're getting [00:55:24] and we're looking at who we're taking them to, [00:55:26] and then you find out that a good number of them [00:55:28] are not paying any taxes, [00:55:30] the burden on the city's taxpayers is over six mils. [00:55:34] The taxable, the tax for the county's fire service districts [00:55:38] is under two mils. [00:55:39] It's a 1.8 mil. [00:55:42] So yes, you're here to talk about the structure. [00:55:45] I'll support my colleagues in saying, let's get it going. [00:55:49] The city manager has a good plan. [00:55:53] Our firefighters and paramedics [00:55:56] and first responders deserve better, [00:56:00] but I'm not gonna stop fighting [00:56:02] and I'm not gonna lay down to the county [00:56:05] to allow us to continue to wait [00:56:07] to get our residents to the hospital [00:56:10] or to hold back our trained personnel [00:56:12] from being able to do it. [00:56:13] So that's my battle. [00:56:14] So I'm willing to do the facility. [00:56:18] I hope my colleagues will join me [00:56:20] in trying to fight for them to have the right [00:56:22] to do what they've been trained to do. [00:56:25] Thank you. [00:56:26] Councilman Murphy. [00:56:27] I agree with my colleagues also about the proposed plan. [00:56:30] Just looking at this to stay in compliance with NFPA, [00:56:35] one station's not gonna cut it. [00:56:36] We need two stations. [00:56:38] And station number two currently, [00:56:40] to be in compliance, has to be moved. [00:56:42] So just those factors alone, it needs to be done. [00:56:46] And it's been a long time. [00:56:48] I know I haven't been here that long, [00:56:49] but it's been something that's been on the back burner [00:56:52] and our people deserve better [00:56:54] and we need to move forward with it. [00:56:57] Thank you. [00:57:00] My only thought was the layout of this proposal, [00:57:05] but if you're comfortable with that coming off, [00:57:08] exiting out onto Grand as opposed to Marine, [00:57:10] then I won't second-guess you. [00:57:15] We did analyze it from different perspectives [00:57:19] and that's one of the reasons [00:57:21] that you saw the north-south driveway [00:57:24] that we proposed at one point in the planning [00:57:27] to minimize the interruption of traffic. [00:57:30] But we're certain that there are traffic control measures [00:57:33] that we can take to control and span [00:57:37] our means of ingress onto Marine Park. [00:57:43] I'm sorry, Grand Boulevard. [00:57:44] Yeah, that was my thought, [00:57:47] particularly with the number of incidents [00:57:50] that you have to deal with out on Useless 19. [00:57:53] Mr. Mayor, on that topic, [00:57:57] Public Works gave us a drawing of Craft Street [00:58:00] making a right turn and coming out, [00:58:02] so it would be very helpful for whatever they're planning [00:58:06] for the bicycle trail and for the traffic patterns [00:58:09] to really be teamed up with whatever design is done. [00:58:13] But I was just thinking in terms of being able [00:58:15] to hit the light and go straight through [00:58:17] to get to the highway might be easier, [00:58:19] but like I say, if you guys are comfortable [00:58:21] with exiting out onto Grand and then immediately [00:58:26] look on a left and a right to get out to the highway, [00:58:28] that's fine. [00:58:29] Just out of curiosity, do we know what the ISO rating is [00:58:32] for the county as a whole? [00:58:34] I do not. [00:58:35] Chief, do you know? [00:58:40] The ISO rating is? [00:58:41] Might be interesting. [00:58:42] The majority of the areas that I quote [00:58:43] for homeowner's insurance, it's either a PC4 or 5. [00:58:51] Water source, and it jumps to 9 and 10, [00:58:53] but the majority of it's 4 and 5. [00:58:55] So we're significantly higher than they are [00:58:58] on the ISO rating. [00:59:02] I didn't really emphasize it, [00:59:04] but I'd like to identify, my opinion is [00:59:08] to identify a funding source to renovate [00:59:10] the living facilities at the current station one [00:59:14] as soon as possible as well, [00:59:15] because this is going to take some time. [00:59:16] That's where I was going to go. [00:59:18] Just to add that, is it appropriate now [00:59:20] for us to evaluate that cost there [00:59:23] and add it to this cost, or is that a different, [00:59:25] can we put the two together and get the money from the source? [00:59:29] It could all be the same funding source, [00:59:34] and I'm recommending the USDA loan program, [00:59:37] and what we haven't done yet is determine [00:59:41] what the costs are. [00:59:42] Right, that's why I'm saying, is it quicker [00:59:45] just to move with what, with station two [00:59:48] and then come back and look at another? [00:59:49] I think that it's quicker to move forward [00:59:52] with station two, and come back, [00:59:56] and make upgrades to one. [00:59:58] I would not like to. [01:00:00] I just don't want to delay Station 2 to just waiting for renovation numbers. [01:00:07] And we would be. And I think our consultants would agree, based on their experience, that it would be a preferred position to go forward with Station 2. [01:00:23] Okay, thank you. [01:00:24] Okay, then the other question, is there funding with a low interest rate and a grant if we want to renovate Station 1? [01:00:34] Yes, there is, and it's the same funding source. [01:00:36] Okay, but I mean the same benefits. [01:00:38] It's the same structure, yes. [01:00:41] Yeah, the grant and the... [01:00:42] That's correct. [01:00:44] In which case, I'm fully on board with my colleagues to move on to, but I do not want us to forget 1. [01:00:52] I mean, that needs fixing, too. [01:00:55] Let's determine cost analysis, what it's going to take, and then we'll look at funding sources. [01:01:05] I just don't want to put that on the back burner just because we're doing Station 2. [01:01:08] We're going to look at two different projects. [01:01:10] Let's go ahead and start moving forward as quickly as possible with both, even if it's a separate funding source for renovation of Station 1. [01:01:16] And I love the design. [01:01:17] And it's clear the city can do more than one thing at a time, so we can address both. [01:01:22] Certainly. [01:01:24] We can address both stations, but they don't need to be tied together while we do it. [01:01:30] We understand fully the direction that you're providing, and thank you very much for your input. [01:01:35] I've got to put a bit of a twist into this, which is with respect to the station that we have here on Main and Madison, [01:01:43] and with respect to the rings that have been drawn, I would still like to see, you know, [01:01:49] it may not be that big of a difference between remodel costs and the space that's there and what they're going to do. [01:01:57] I think you really need to analyze the best location, considering that, whether or not the new location for Station 1 is in order. [01:02:06] And that's part of, I think, the discussion we have to do with Station 1. [01:02:12] Because there are, I don't know if I've got any library people in the audience or not, [01:02:17] but they've been coveting that building for as long as I can remember. [01:02:22] And I suspect some of the fire folks in the back room would not be terribly upset if we built a new Station 1 as well [01:02:31] and let the library have their expansion. [01:02:35] It's also the backing up and the ability to get trucks through. [01:02:38] So we've already been advised what's the best way to do things, [01:02:43] and that's why I would like to look at the costs of where it would best be suited for our expansion or what growth, [01:02:50] whether or not that's... [01:02:52] Just a question as far as manning. [01:02:55] Is Station 2 becoming the primary station then, and more of the apparatus, [01:03:02] more of the vehicles and the manpower would be there? [01:03:07] My answer to that currently is no. [01:03:09] I think Station 1, if we keep it in its current location, would still be the main fire station, [01:03:13] one due to the fact that the majority of the calls are in the downtown area. [01:03:18] Station 2, although, would house the training room and certain aspects, amenities, [01:03:26] that we don't have currently at Station 2 or Station 1. [01:03:30] So we would do a lot of our training at Station 2 and meetings and so forth. [01:03:34] But as far as emergency response, Station 1 would remain the main station. [01:03:40] I would like to open it up. [01:03:42] If any of the members of the public that are here had any thoughts they wanted to share with us, [01:03:47] we'd be happy to hear from you. [01:03:50] If you could go up to the mic at the podium and give us your name and address for the record, please. [01:04:01] Hello. Heather Fiorentino, Wyoming Avenue. [01:04:05] And I know I'm just going to be reiterating a lot of what you've said, [01:04:08] but I have always supported that New Port Richey have two stations. [01:04:12] One of the problems, again, is that response time. [01:04:15] And it is so important when you've got a loved one on the floor having a heart attack. [01:04:20] And I will tell you, the fire department came to my house ablaze. [01:04:24] I had the worst house fire in the history of New Port Richey in less than four minutes, [01:04:28] and it seemed like a half hour. [01:04:30] So when you're on the other end of the fire truck, it's really important that they do get there in those four minutes. [01:04:37] I know right now the cost seems a lot, but when you really go back and renovate things, it's not even worth it. [01:04:43] Those buildings and the men definitely deserve to have what you're doing, [01:04:46] so I totally support everything you've been saying. [01:04:49] And the location of being in the residential, [01:04:52] and we've already had a couple accidents with students in those school zones, [01:04:56] so it makes it even harder when we have those rescue vehicles going through there. [01:05:02] And I know it's something that you have been working on for the last five years, [01:05:05] and I thank you for that, and I thank you for what you're doing, [01:05:08] because the city looks great and your services are wonderful. [01:05:11] So thank you for everything. [01:05:13] Thank you, Heather. [01:05:14] Anyone else? [01:05:19] Seeing no one else come forward, any final comments? [01:05:24] Go ahead. [01:05:26] Thank you for the firefighters that came out this evening. [01:05:31] No pressure from you guys at all, right? [01:05:33] Yeah, really. [01:05:35] Ms. Mance, do you have enough direction to move forward on this? [01:05:38] Clearly, Mr. Mayor, I do. [01:05:40] In that case, thank you. [01:05:44] What is your estimated cut in the ribbon, put in the shovels in the ground? [01:05:50] Fall? [01:05:55] If we were to start designing it today, I'd say the design period would probably last seven to eight months, [01:06:00] and I'd allow roughly ten months for construction, [01:06:03] and you'd have to insert a month or month and a half for the bid process. [01:06:07] So you're a couple years out. [01:06:11] Yeah, start tomorrow. [01:06:14] Okay. [01:06:16] Any communications? [01:06:18] Councilman Chopper? [01:06:20] No. [01:06:21] Mr. Altman? [01:06:23] I'll hold for the end here while I think of it. [01:06:25] Mr. Murphy? [01:06:26] Anything? [01:06:27] No, none for me. [01:06:29] I'll let you all off easy tonight. [01:06:31] I have nothing. [01:06:32] I think we're back to you. [01:06:34] Well, I've got to say something.

   This text was generated automatically from the meeting video. It is not a verbatim or official record. For exact wording, consult the video or the city clerk.

3. 3Communications▶ 1:06:36
4. 4Adjournment▶ 1:08:47