The Emporia Gazette

May 28, 2012

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Money, or lack thereof, was just one reason city commissioners gave Wednesday in deciding on a consensus to focus on the cheapest basic route in fixing Fire Station No. 2.

Commissioners decided at their biweekly work session to focus on the option of renovating station 2 for an estimated cost of $361,000 — a move that would add 15 to 20 years of useful life to the station, according to an analysis presented by Treanor Architects two weeks ago. That option — especially if it can be spread out in phases over multiple years — would require less financial creativity than renovating and expanding the 30-year-old station, which would cost about $2.26 million, or building a new station, which would cost between $3.5 and $4.375 million.

Commissioners Julie Johnson and Jeff Longbine were the first to express their views on what to do about the station. Johnson said her position in leaning toward “option one,” the renovation of the station to fix its most serious problems, was a result of the conclusion in Treanor’s report that the station was in good structural shape but needed work. She said the city’s desire to experience growth, which would have to occur to the northwest, meant the city should look at the opportunity to build a third fire station in that area in the future.

Longbine said he agreed with Johnson for most of the same reasons. He said that the report indicated the city had gotten all the use it could out of station 2’s roof and HVAC systems. He said he would hope that Emporia would have enough growth in the next five to 10 years that the city would be talking about building a new station out in the Americus Road area.

“The repairs that we are talking about need to be done whether we were gonna do an addition (to station 2) or not,” he said. “So I don’t think (option one) precludes us from being able to do an addition later on.”

Commissioner Jim Kessler, who was out of town but joined the meeting by conference call from Des Moines, Iowa, said he “unfortunately” agreed with Johnson and Longbine.

“I say unfortunately because I would much rather build a brand new station to meet the needs of the fire department,” Kessler said. “But I realize also that at this point, it isn’t going to be possible.”

City Manager Matt Zimmerman set aside an amount of $415,000 for station 2 improvements in the 2009 capital improvement plan, attempting to factor in additional costs for items such as a temporary fire station location and security fencing.

“We’re trying to be conservative at this point,” he said.

Fire Chief Jack Taylor asked commissioners about the possibility of adding a small metal storage building to station 2 as part of the renovation. Treanor’s representative had said that such a building could be built for around $40-50 per square foot. Longbine told Taylor he wouldn’t have a problem with looking at that as an option.

Commissioners and Zimmerman discussed spreading the project out in phases, which Treanor said was an option, and paying for it using three-year temporary notes.

“It’s just like going to the bank and borrowing a short-term three-year note, except it’s out in the open,” Agler said. “... They normally have three payment provisions, where you can pay ’em off at any point in time.”

Zimmerman said he would use the commission’s direction to modify the capital improvement plan and try to put together plans with an eye on a late-fall approval for action on station 2.