by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
The fate of the former Fire Station No. 5 should be known by mid-April. While the station and the property it sits on is currently owned by Fidelity National Financial, the City could become the owners as of April 16, 2010. What happens then could be determined by a report released Dec. 31.
The report was mandated by City Council in 2007 and looked at the cost of removing the building from its current site on Riverside Avenue (a new Fire Station No. 5 opened last year on Forest St.). Ultimately, there are two options for the City: demolish the building or move it. According to the report, it would cost in excess of $525,000 to move the building and between $1.1 million and $1.9 million to renovate. Other unknown costs include parking and site work. That’s money that doesn’t exist.
“A funding source has not been identified,” said mayoral spokesperson Misty Skipper. “There is not currently a funding source and we have not found a site to move it to.”
Fidelity could raze the building, but it cannot notify the City of such intention until April 16 of this year. At that time, the City has three months to notify Fidelity of its intention to relocate the building and another nine months to physically move it. A representative from Fidelity did not return a call seeking comment.
Skipper said the City has occupancy rights, but with a new station in service, it’s unlikely the City will use the building for anything.
According to the report, the station was originally built in 1910 and has some structural damage. It also doesn’t meet the current design requirements for fire stations or the building code requirements pertaining to wind loads.
The report also says that in order to be moved, the building would have to be “sliced” in order to pass under area overpasses.
If moved, the report indicates the final price tag to renovate the building and bring it up to all the codes is $2.197 million.
356-2466