Plans for second firehouse off frontage road
continue
By Joe Pritchett
Clarion Editor
Design plans for a second firehouse for the Chatham Fire Protection District have moved forward
in earnest.
Chatham Fire Chief Phil Schumer confirmed to the Clarion Tuesday that his department is working
to obtain a grant as part of the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
The Chatham Fire Protection District has already announced its intentions to build a second
firehouse on the east end of the district, on land it owns off the I-55 frontage road (Palm Road), across
the road from Armbruster's.
However, if monies from this grant come through, the process will be sped up, to the point where in
less than two years a second firehouse could be up and functioning.
Schumer said the Fire District hopes to hear if it has obtained the grant sometime in August or
early September. In order to qualify for the grant, bidding projects need to be "shovel ready," so the
District has been busy working with Evan Lloyd Architects and H & H Construction putting together
design plans.
In addition, the Fire District is moving forward with the Village of Chatham and will be asking for a
special use permit to build a fire station on the property. That public hearing is set for Aug. 20 at 7 p.m.
at Municipal Hall.
Only 100 federal grants will be given, Schumer said, with a maximum of $5,000 per station. The
Chatham project asks for a federal grant of just over $3 million, along with $500,000 of Fire District
monies, for a total project cost of $3.63 million. There would be no referendum or bonding monies
sought from the public.
"Originally, we were calling for a five-year plan to get this building online," Schumer explained. "If
we get this grant, we will have a 36-month window to finish the project."
Schumer added that he projects a 22-month completion time, once the grant is secured. Along
with additional staffing, a tanker and brush truck would have to be purchased almost as soon as the
new facility becomes operational.
There are a number of requirements to qualify for the federal grant, Schumer continued. The
building has to be designed to certain environment and energy standards, with a number of
conservation measures included as mandated by the LEED (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) Silver Fire Station Construction Grant.
The footprint of the building would mirror the current firehouse on Route 4 and include 15,480
square feet. There are four vehicle bays included in the original design.
The facility will also be designed to be as friendly as possible to neighbors, with the Lake Knolls
Subdivision located nearby. There are lighting and noise measures included. The main entrance to
the facility will be off the frontage road.
The second firehouse will drastically decrease response times in the east end of the Fire District.
For example, current average response times to an incident at Ball Elementary are 8:45. A new
firehouse would cut that time down to just a couple of minutes.
"Our average response times to anything east of the Applebarn are six minutes and over," Schumer
stated. "Federal guidelines call for us to be on scene in four minutes or less."
Schumer said the Department's National Fire Protection Association rating suffers due to the
higher response times.
•If the federal grant falls through, plans will still move forward, just at a slower pace. Schumer said
the District Board of Trustees is committed to not going to the public for a referendum or bonding,
rather plans call for more money to be accumulated over the next couple of years in reserves, along
with a loan to cover the rest of the costs.
A training facility is also planned for the second firehouse. The station off Route 4 would still be
considered the "main" fire station, Schumer said, and would be called "Station 1," with the other facility
being "Station 2."
continue
By Joe Pritchett
Clarion Editor
Design plans for a second firehouse for the Chatham Fire Protection District have moved forward
in earnest.
Chatham Fire Chief Phil Schumer confirmed to the Clarion Tuesday that his department is working
to obtain a grant as part of the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
The Chatham Fire Protection District has already announced its intentions to build a second
firehouse on the east end of the district, on land it owns off the I-55 frontage road (Palm Road), across
the road from Armbruster's.
However, if monies from this grant come through, the process will be sped up, to the point where in
less than two years a second firehouse could be up and functioning.
Schumer said the Fire District hopes to hear if it has obtained the grant sometime in August or
early September. In order to qualify for the grant, bidding projects need to be "shovel ready," so the
District has been busy working with Evan Lloyd Architects and H & H Construction putting together
design plans.
In addition, the Fire District is moving forward with the Village of Chatham and will be asking for a
special use permit to build a fire station on the property. That public hearing is set for Aug. 20 at 7 p.m.
at Municipal Hall.
Only 100 federal grants will be given, Schumer said, with a maximum of $5,000 per station. The
Chatham project asks for a federal grant of just over $3 million, along with $500,000 of Fire District
monies, for a total project cost of $3.63 million. There would be no referendum or bonding monies
sought from the public.
"Originally, we were calling for a five-year plan to get this building online," Schumer explained. "If
we get this grant, we will have a 36-month window to finish the project."
Schumer added that he projects a 22-month completion time, once the grant is secured. Along
with additional staffing, a tanker and brush truck would have to be purchased almost as soon as the
new facility becomes operational.
There are a number of requirements to qualify for the federal grant, Schumer continued. The
building has to be designed to certain environment and energy standards, with a number of
conservation measures included as mandated by the LEED (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) Silver Fire Station Construction Grant.
The footprint of the building would mirror the current firehouse on Route 4 and include 15,480
square feet. There are four vehicle bays included in the original design.
The facility will also be designed to be as friendly as possible to neighbors, with the Lake Knolls
Subdivision located nearby. There are lighting and noise measures included. The main entrance to
the facility will be off the frontage road.
The second firehouse will drastically decrease response times in the east end of the Fire District.
For example, current average response times to an incident at Ball Elementary are 8:45. A new
firehouse would cut that time down to just a couple of minutes.
"Our average response times to anything east of the Applebarn are six minutes and over," Schumer
stated. "Federal guidelines call for us to be on scene in four minutes or less."
Schumer said the Department's National Fire Protection Association rating suffers due to the
higher response times.
•If the federal grant falls through, plans will still move forward, just at a slower pace. Schumer said
the District Board of Trustees is committed to not going to the public for a referendum or bonding,
rather plans call for more money to be accumulated over the next couple of years in reserves, along
with a loan to cover the rest of the costs.
A training facility is also planned for the second firehouse. The station off Route 4 would still be
considered the "main" fire station, Schumer said, and would be called "Station 1," with the other facility
being "Station 2."
Chatham Clarion
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Issue Date: July 30, 2009