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Zephyrhills OKs Quick Fix For Fire Station

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By LAURA KINSLER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 24, 2008

ZEPHYRHILLS - Mayor Cliff McDuffie called it a "no-brainer."

Yes, the city could get its Community Development Block Grant application in by the Sept. 29 deadline. Yes, it could probably score high enough to land the $750,000 grant to relieve downtown flooding well enough for the fire department to move back into its Sixth Street station.

However, the proposed fix, adding vertical walls to the drainage pond across from City Hall, would cost $1.3 million. The project would leave the city owing $550,000, plus an additional $500,000 to repair and renovate the fire station.

Engineer Jeff Middlebrook told the City Council on Monday it could achieve virtually the same drainage improvements for $150,000. Moreover, the city could begin construction in as few as four months by foregoing the grant process.

The council voted unanimously not to pursue the grant and to proceed with design for station improvements. City Manager Steve Spina has recommended gutting and remodeling the station, replacing the roof and purchasing an inflatable rubber dam to surround the station.

"Overall, I think it's a good deal," Council President Luis Lopez said.

The $25,000 rubber baffle could be quickly inflated with water to create a barrier around the station when the nearby pond overflows, Spina said.

"It's an emergency fix," he said.

Firefighters have been living and working out of the World War II Barracks Museum at the municipal airport since a Jan. 23 storm flooded the downtown station.

The station could be repaired for as little as $150,000, but Spina recommended spending more on remodeling the station, which could be used for city offices if the department ever replaces it.

"We've been talking about doing something for eight or nine months," he said. "I think we should get a move on. It's not the optimal thing, but with the budget and the economy, it's the best we can do."

The funding should come from a variety of sources: transportation impact fees, fire impact fees and revenue from the city's redevelopment district.

The city will not buy or lease a modular station to house firefighters during the remodeling. Buying or leasing the 1,440-square-foot station would have cost an additional $70,000.

In other business, the council unanimously adopted its 2009 budget and set the millage rate at 5.57 mills, the same as the current rate. The owner of a $100,000 home with a homestead exemption would pay $278.50 in city taxes. That's a lower overall tax bill because of the property tax relief measure Florida voters passed in January.

Reporter Laura Kinsler can be reached at (813) 865-4844 or lkinsler@tampatrib.com.

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