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What: Huber Heights Administration Committee meeting
When: 5 p.m. Tuesday
Where: City Hall, 6131 Taylorsville Road
Construction of the city’s third fire station is expected to begin soon and eventually open late next summer — perfect timing for the project, as it complements the growth in northern Huber Heights, according to city officials.
The new facility, Fire Station 25, is projected to open in late summer 2016, and will be at 9975 Old Troy Pike, just south of the new $10 million Northtowne Apartments complex.
Huber Heights City Council recently approved moving forward with a contract with Brumbaugh Construction to build the new fire station, at a cost not to exceed $2.35 million.
Brumbaugh Construction was the lowest of five bidders, with an amount of nearly $2.6 million. The details of the contract are being worked out to lower the cost, and an update will be presented at the Administration Committee meeting Tuesday, according to assistant city manager Scott Falkowski.
The total budget for the project is $2.9 million. That figure also includes design fees, soil borings, permit fees and the 1.75-acre land purchase ($192,231).
“It’s a theme the city always tries to carry out — to work projects within a certain budget amount,” said Councilman Mark Campbell, chair of the Administration Committee. “The staff and city have garnered good relationships with many builders and contractors, and we’ll just continue to represent the citizens and keep this within budget. I look forward to a new fire station.”
City leaders anticipate faster response times north of Interstate 70 as a result of the project, in addition to freeing up personnel in the southern end of the city since the northern portion will be covered.
“The increasing population north of Interstate 70 over the last 30 years, combined with an average increase in emergency calls of about four percent annually, creates a greater demand for services across the entire city,” Fire Chief Mark Ashworth said. “The addition of this station will create an opportunity for personnel in existing stations to remain in their assigned districts in efforts of improving services and reduce response times.”
Falkowski said construction of the 8,000-square-foot building is expected to begin in the next several weeks. He said Brumbaugh Construction built city hall, the Kroger Aquatic Center at The Heights and the Eichelberger Amphitheater, and is currently constructing two new fire stations in Kettering.
“It’s perfect timing for the growth that’s going on, as the north continues to develop,” Falkowski said. “It’s definitely filling a need that the citizens have asked for and deserve.”
The fire department’s headquarters, Station 22, is located at 7008 Brandt Pike, and Station 23 is at 7435 Old Troy Pike.
The fire department currently employs 50 people, including administrative and operational personnel. Falkowski said the building will be built for a maximum of five firefighters/paramedics and one department officer.
At the beginning, the plan is to start with three firefighters/paramedics and an officer. Three positions on the organizational chart have been unfunded the last few years, and the city is proposing to refill those spots, Falkowski said.
The fire station is in a tax increment financing district in Miami County — a total of 22.6 acres directly fronting Old Troy Pike at Parktowne Boulevard.
The new fire station will be built using existing fire capital funds and TIF dollars from the new district. City Council unanimously approved creating the TIF district late last year.
The TIF district is projected to generate approximately $1.3 million in new TIF revenue over the life of the 30-year TIF.
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