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Firehouse bid awarded

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By KENNETH KNIGHT

kknight@tampatrib.com

Published: November 25, 2009

NEW TAMPA - Fire Station No. 22, a long-anticipated firehouse to serve subdivisions on the eastern end of Cross Creek Boulevard and parts of unincorporated Hillsborough County on Morris Bridge Road, has moved one step closer to construction.

Titanium Enterprise Inc. of Sarasota has won the contract to build the firehouse on Cross Creek Boulevard, about a quarter mile west of Morris Bridge Road.

The Tampa City Council last week approved a $1.42 million bid by Titanium Enterprise without discussion. The resolution passed by a 6-0 vote, with Councilwoman Linda Saul-Sena absent.

The 27 bids submitted to build an 8,660-square-foot firehouse with three drive-through bays ranged from $1.42 million, submitted by Titanium, to $2.1 million. The offers cover the cost of labor, equipment and construction material.

"I'm glad to hear the contract passed," said Capt. Bill Wade, spokeswoman for Tampa Fire Rescue. "That's terrific."

Building Fire Station No. 22 has been on the fire department's wish list for years as commercial and residential development grew along the eastern stretch of Cross Creek Boulevard.

The new firehouse will help reduce response times in an area now served by Tampa Fire Station No. 21, the nearest firehouse on the west end of Cross Creek Boulevard near Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

There is a six-minute response time from Fire Station No. 21 to the area sprinkled with schools, shopping plazas and the sprawling Arbor Greene, Cory Lake Isles, Heritage Isles and K-Bar Ranch subdivisions, city and fire officials said.

The city's decision to move forward on plans to build a new fire station during an economic crisis demonstrates a commitment to the residents, Assistant Fire Chief Scott Ehlers said.

"We appreciate the support of the city council to meet the needs of the people who count on us," Ehlers said.

The new station at 10817 Cross Creek Blvd. will be built on an undeveloped parcel spanning nearly 8 acres just west of Morris Bridge Road. The project is expected to begin in December and be completed in less than a year.

The contract calls for building a fire station and parking lot on 2 acres; the remainder of the land will be used for conservation.

The city bought the land for Fire Station 22 two years ago for $750,000, a Tampa Fire Rescue news release said.

Tampa will receive more than $1.6 million in federal stimulus money for the construction project, said Ehlers, who wrote the grant application. The grant is expected to cover nearly all costs associated with building the firehouse.

The city will receive money through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a program enacted this year by President Obama and Congress to help fire departments nationwide with fire station construction costs.

Four-member teams, made up of a captain, driver and two firefighters, will staff the station around the clock. The crew will be trained to provide fire rescue and paramedic services.

To help cover the cost of 15 positions at Fire Station 22, Tampa Fire Rescue also received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The agency's Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response, or SAFER, grant will pump in about $4 million during the next five years to help the city hire 36 new firefighters to enhance fire protection services citywide.

Reporter Kenneth Knight can be reached at (813) 259-7413.

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