Arlington is one step closer to an expanded and renovated fire station. The town’s mayor and board of aldermen agreed to let fire chief David Franks put out bids on the project, estimated to cost about $380,000.
The first $80,000 was already allocated for repairs and renovations in the current year’s budget, and the remaining $300,000 would be added to this year’s budget.
Expansions on the north and west side of the existing station will add 1,480 square feet to the facility and equip the department to better serve its coverage area. The department and city officials had discussed possibly adding a second station south of Interstate 40, but there has not yet been enough growth in the area to merit that construction, said fire chief David Franks.
City leaders agreed the renovation is needed.
Changes will include an expanded kitchen to accommodate three shifts (replacing the old one that is approximately three feet wide), more storage space, a larger bathroom, a library, and the addition of space for six beds, a day room and a workout room. Currently, the workout area is squeezed onto the apparatus floor.
“What this does is give us added space for the firefighters,” Franks said. “and it does give us a possibility to have future growth for manpower. Right now, this station is only built for one company, but this gives me the potential to add a second company to this facility.”
If the town approves a bid for the renovation, the fire department will temporarily relocate into the old Public Works building, which will be vacated in approximately 45 days when construction is complete on the new Public Works building.
The department will be cramped for space but fully functional in the old Public Works building during the anticipated three or four months needed for the renovations, Franks said.
Click here to see larger PDFs of the fire station renovation plans: front elevation, side elevation, and partial floor plan.
ACS budget
The board also reviewed the first quarter financial report from Arlington Community Schools and praised superintendent Tammy Mason and district staff for their work to date on the difficult task of first-year budgeting and financial management.
ACS chief financial officer Miracle Meeks reported that the district has a positive cash flow.
The year-to-date general fund revenues through September were $6.3 million, and expenses for the general fund for the same quarter were $5.8 million.
Mason and Meeks also noted that the district’s first payment of $333,333 to Shelby County Schools was delivered before the due date of Nov. 1.
Easement offer
Arlington’s town board also approved eliminating an annual bond requirement in exchange for receiving valuable easements.
Town recorder Cathy Durant explained that R&L Carriers bought 98 acres when the company built its facility in 1999 but only developed 15 of those acres. The town planned to require the company to make costly curb improvements and install gutters and a sidewalk for the entire acreage, but R&L agreed instead to pay an annual bond guaranteeing it would make those road improvements when it developed the remaining land.
Since then, soaring costs have made the bond amount insufficient. In exchange for the town’s dropping of that bond requirement, R+L has agreed to give Arlington an easement for its 40 acres along Gerber Road between Gulf Stream and Memphis Arlington Roads at no cost. This will benefit the town’s pending construction of its $1 million bike and pedestrian trail.
The trail, currently in the phase of design and acquisition of right of way, will connect elementary and middle school areas to give children a safe route. June 2015 is the target for starting construction.
Haley strongly recommended accepting the deal with R+L.
“It’s a good deal for this reason — the subdivision regulations do not change,” he said. “So when they go to develop it, they’ll be required to do whatever the town regulations require at that time. So it will not cost the town a dime, and this way it will relieve them of that annual bond, and we’ll get the easement necessary to move this process forward.”
Other business
In other business, the board also:
- Authorized a contract with Shelby County for an $85,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to improve a large drainage ditch in the rear of the Dr. Logan subdivision.
- Authorized a second contract with Shelby County for $10,000 in CDBG funding to construct a basketball court in the Dr. Logan subdivision. After widening Airline Road, the existing court was too close to the road for residents’ safety, so the funding will be used to relocate it deeper into Dr. Logan Park.
- Had a first reading of the ordinance to amend the budget for the fiscal year that ended June 30.
- Postponed discussions on whether to set aside funds received from cellular tower leases on town property for use exclusively for Depot Square development.
- Discussed the town’s approval to participate in Shop Small Saturday, an initiative that American Express began in 2010 to encourage shopping at small businesses on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This year, the date will be Nov. 29. Details of the program are online at americanexpress.com/us/small-business/shop-small/.
