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Auburn Fire Station addition gets go-ahead
(by Joan Demirjian - July 21, 2011)
Auburn Fire Station addition gets go-ahead
By JOAN DEMIRJIAN
Auburn officials have received the go-ahead from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to start on the addition to the Auburn Fire Station. The department gave its final approval to a $2.5 million loan to the township to build the station.
It will be paid off with a portion of the 3.5-mill continuing fire levy voters approved last year. The levy will cover 24-hour staffing at the station and the mortgage.
The project includes more than 12,000 square feet to be built on the north side of the station on East Washington Street.
A preconstruction meeting was held July 13. The department of agriculture representative said a good job was done by the township in getting the paperwork together for the loan. The process was overseen by Auburn Fiscal Officer Susan Plavcan.
"The stack of paper was about 8 inches high," Trustee John Eberly said. "It was a mammoth job."
Mr. Eberly noted the two-story addition will include new quarters for the fire station staff, now on duty 24 hours, seven days a week.
Auburn Fire Chief John Phillips said Hummel Construction, of Ravenna, would be starting this week, although they won't move equipment onto the site yet.
The meeting July 13 included a question-and-answer session with the department of agriculture, he said.
Mrs. Plavcan has been handling the paperwork for the loan, Mr. Phillips said. "She is very competent in her job." He is appreciative of the work done by Mrs. Plavcan, he said.
"And I have to thank the community for its tremendous support in passing the fire levy, allowing us to do this project," Mr. Phillips said.
Also at the meeting were James Larsen, of Larsen Architects, which designed the addition, and construction manager James Dixon.
The addition to the existing building, built in 1978, was designed to accommodate training, administrative functions and sleeping areas.
Currently, those on duty are sleeping on cots upstairs in a room that is shared with administrative offices.
"The staff will have a professional and appropriate facility to work in," Mr. Phillips said of the new building.
"I'm ecstatic," he said of the progress. "Little by little, it's happening."
The improved sleeping quarters are important for staff who are on duty. There are now three people on duty for each shift, around the clock.
Staffing the station is key to a good response time to calls, Mr. Phillips said.
That need was shown when the department dealt with seven emergency calls last week, almost back to back, he said.
When firefighters and rescue workers responded from home, it took volunteers three to five minutes to get to the station and eight to 12 minutes longer to get their gear.
Now that there is station staffing, response times are five to eight minutes.
"With someone having a heart attack or with a motor vehicle accident, cutting response time is crucial," Mr. Phillips said.
When the addition is completed, an existing portion of the building will be used for training and an emergency shelter which could be used for extended power outages in the township.
Completion of the addition is expected to be completed by spring of 2012.
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