Fire station construction in vogue Pompano Beach – While the city waits for the long-delayed Beach Fire Station No. 11 to open its doors, shovels will hit the sand for Fire Station 103 to rise in the Highlands community at 3721 NE 12 Ave. Plans include a 13,204 sq. ft. two-story building with CBS construction that can withstand hurricane force winds up to a level 5. The station will have a standing seam metal roof, exterior impact windows and doors with concrete block and stucco finishes. Low water landscaping and roof-mounted solar panels that will provide energy for a water heater and a full back-up generator. Interior spaces will include a three-bay drive through apparatus bays, training physical fitness room, full kitchen with commercial gas appliances and stainless steel counters. The building will also have seven individual bunkrooms and three offices. Construction will cost $3.5 million [general capital improvement funds] and is expected to take one year to complete. And for Fire Chief John Jurgle and Station No. 103, they may be counting the days. Jurgle says the current station, 3500 NE 16 Terr., located in a former community center, isn’t suited to the department’s needs. It also has to be evacuated before a hurricane because it’s not built to withstand major storms. “Although it served us well, it’s not a fire station. It’s bearable but not optimal. It was never meant to be a fire station.” Fire personnel, said Jurgle, don’t have enough room for physical or job training exercises and the $500,000 fire truck and $250,000 rescue vehicle have to be left outside under a canopy increasing their exposure to the elements and speeding up wear-and-tear. A ground-breaking ceremony is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 24 at 10 a.m. Construction on the new station is expected to start on Jan. 27. The Beach Fire Station 11 has been a series of problems for the city. First anticipated for occupation in October of last year, the hammers are still swinging to try to make it happen this February. After many extensions with the contractor, JCON, a Miami firm, the city terminated its contract with $600,000 of work unfinished. The $3.1 million 13,200 sq. ft. building will replace the circa 1957 building on North Ocean Boulevard and Northeast 3 Street which has been operating on one bathroom and one sleeping area accommodating both male and female fire fighters. This is also a LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] certified and can withstand a Category 5 hurricane. Accommodations include multiple individual bathrooms/showers and separate sleeping quarters.
Posted on: Fri, 17 Jan 2014 02:59:19 +0000
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