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Zephyrhills Debates Merged Fire Stations

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By LAURA KINSLER

lkinsler@tampatrib.com

Published: February 21, 2009

ZEPHYRHILLS - Firefighters call it "The Palace."

Built in 2000, Fire Station 1 on Dairy Road is a penthouse compared with the city's downtown fire station.

The nearly 50-year-old building next to city hall, on the other hand, has been dubbed the "dungeon," "outhouse" and plenty of other names that aren't fit to print.

Now City Manager Steve Spina wants the city council to consider doing away with the downtown station, which has been out of service for more than a year because of flood damage. Spina said the city could expand Station 1 and consolidate operations for less than it would cost to repair Station 2.

The item is on the council's agenda for Monday.

In a memo to the council, Spina explained that the newer station was designed with expansion in mind. The city could add 2,000 to 2,400 square feet to the station for $380,000 or less. The estimated cost for repairs and renovations to Station 2 would be $750,000 plus the cost for drainage improvements.

"A negative is the idea that all fire and rescue services will be based in the north end of town, resulting in some slower response times to the southern portion of the city," he added.
Councilman Kent Compton said he supports the consolidation plan, as long as the department can offer "acceptable" response times for the entire city.

"That's the kind of sound decision I'm looking for," Compton said.
Fire Chief Keith Williams said he'd rather have everyone work out of Station 1. "It's just not practical to put $750,000 into a station that's nearly 50 years old. We have outgrown that building," he said.

Williams said the department's call volume would significantly decrease when the city's mutual aid agreement with Pasco County Fire Rescue expires. Nearly 40 percent of the city department's workload involved responding to calls for Pasco County.

The city council considered both options in January and opted for the repairs to Station 2. Mayor Cliff McBride said he didn't understand why Spina would bring it up again.

"We talked about that before and we decided it wasn't the way to go," McBride said.

Council President Luis Lopez said he appreciates that Spina is looking for ways to save money, but he doesn't support this idea. "Why leave a big, gaping hole in the coverage area?" he asked.

Councilwoman Jodi Wilkeson said she wants to move forward with the Station 2 renovations. "We have the money to do it, and this is the ideal time to be building," she said.

Wilkeson said Station 1 was designed to accommodate future expansion because the city had approved several new subdivisions on the north end of town. Most of the new home construction stalled when the housing market collapsed.

Fire Lt. Shawn Baptist, the department's union representative, said response times would suffer if the city eliminated one of its two fire stations. "We're trying to be understanding," he said. "I understand that they can save a lot of money, but at what cost?"

Baptist said the city could still be eligible for assistance from the federal stimulus bill, which included $8.8 billion for public safety projects.

Reporter Laura Kinsler can be reached at (813) 779-4617.

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