- October 11, 2024
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The City Council could place the fate of the city’s historic Fire Station 22 in voters’ hands.
A facility assessment completed by Schenkel Schultz Architecture on the 46-year-old building showed that the upgrades necessary to bring the building up to code would cost an estimated $1.1 million. The city could also decide to demolish the building and use the land for additional parking for the Community Center.
Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin said he would have a hard time deciding on behalf of the community without understanding community members’ feelings about the station.
“This is one of those very, very rare times that I’m thinking that this almost becomes a ballot question,” he said.
This is one of those very, very rare times that I'm thinking that this almost becomes a ballot question."
— DAVID ALFIN, Palm Coast mayor
Schenkel Schultz Architecture was contracted in February to assess the existing building and design two new stations.
It completed the assessment of Fire Station 22 assessment in May and presented it to the City Council on June 27.
Built in 1977, Fire Station 22 is at Palm Coast Parkway and Club House Drive, across from the Community Center.
The station must be replaced because it can no longer serve the Fire Department’s needs, city architect Eric Gebo said.
The building needs a lot of refurbishments to meet current codes, said Zoran Lozanovski, an associate with Schenkel Schultz.
The assessment uncovered several problems that need replacing now or within a few years, Lozanovski said.
The building’s plumbing has only 10-20 years left before it needs replacing. The air conditioning unit also has about 10 years remaining, and could use a complete overhaul of the HVAC system.
The electrical system is original wiring and needs to be replaced, alongside the lighting, windows and doors, for energy efficiency, he said. It needs a new roof.
The fire station also needs a fire alarm system installed: It is still using stand-alone smoke detectors.
If the council chooses to spend the money upgrading the building, the structure could be used for commerce or business or be rented out for assemblies, Lozanovski said.
Refurbishing it would include adding 70 parking spots for the Community Center in the empty lot on the east side of the station.
Stormwater and Engineering Director Carl Cote noted that the $1.1 million was an estimate: Depending on what the building is used for and when construction begins, that amount could go up.
“So that’s a lot of money to rehabilitate this building, no doubt,” Vice Mayor Ed Danko said.
If the council chooses to demolish the building rather than refurbish it, the city would add a total of 112 parking spots for the Community Center.
Parks and Recreation Director James Hirst said an analysis of use of the center shows that it needs a minimum of 250 spaces; it currently has 109.
The presentation did not include an estimated cost for demolishing the station and building a parking lot.
Danko agreed with Alfin that the decision may be best left to voters, and suggested that an organization like the Historical Society might raise money to refurbish it.
Council member Theresa Carli Pontieri said her only objection to placing the topic on a ballot was that it may be too complex to be simplified for the limited space on a ballot.
She added that she needed more information — including the cost of turning the station into a parking lot, and how that would affect the area ecology — to decide.
Pontieri said residents want something that is going to be a namesake in the community. The historic station, if the city keeps it, could be repurposed to promote the city’s history and other parks to visitors, she said.
“I’m in favor of saving Fire Station 22,” she said.
We do want to honor our fire station, our firemen and our history, but we also do need parking."
— ED DANKO, Palm Coast vice mayor
Alfin directed city staff to return to the council with a cost estimate for building the parking lot.
The city manager will also meet with Historical Society member Greg Johnston, who, during the meeting’s public comment period, suggested that he could trade land with the city for the station to save it from being demolished. Johnston said he owns land near the Community Center that might work.
Danko said the council needs that cost comparison to make a decision.
“We do want to honor our fire station, our firemen and our history, but we also do need parking,” Danko said. “We’re kind of between a tree and its bark in this situation.”
