Rogers Aldermen OK New Fire Station

ROGERS --Aldermen Tuesday approved spending about $2.3 million to start building Fire Station No. 2 this summer.

The money covers construction, technology and furnishings, according to city documents. The project has been in the works for about three years.

At A Glance

Council Action

Rogers’ City Council met Tuesday and approved:

• Contracting with SSI to build the Lake Atalanta bike facilities and spending $2.8 million for the project.

• A lease for the Rogers Little Theater, a nonprofit group.

• Contracting with RTE of Sedona, Ariz., to design roundabouts on Southgate Road.

• Spend $46,342 from the Rogers Municipal Airport reserve for information-technology equipment.

• A $31,000 change to plans for the Razorback Regional Greenway and a contract with Crafton Tull and Associates for the Northern Loop Trail at $205,000.

Source: Staff Report

"It's a good project," said Fire Chief Tom Jenkins. "It's a big project. It will not only improve things -- and local response -- it's actually going to impact the entire city."

Jenkins expects the station, which should be finished in about a year, to shave 30 to 40 seconds off of the Fire Department's response time. The department aims for about 390 seconds from the time an emergency call is placed until firefighters arrive. Shaving any time off will save lives, Jenkins said.

"Seconds count," Jenkins said.

The new station is needed because the Fire Department has outgrown the current Fire Station No. 2, which is the city's smallest at about 2,100 square feet, Jenkins said. The new facility will be nearly 12,000 square feet.

The station's new site is centrally located, which is ideal because the station is among the busiest, Jenkins said. Fire Station No. 2 makes about 2,000 runs in emergency calls every year, he said.

With more space and better amenities -- including having three bays -- the new station may help the Fire Department lower the city's fire-risk rating, Jenkins said. Rogers has a three fire risk on a scale where 10 is the worst and one is the best. A lower fire-risk rating can mean lower home insurance for residents.

The Fire Department will be tested in the next few months to assess the city's fire risk and fire mitigation, Jenkins said.

A new station also could mean increasing the station's service area and moving an ambulance to the station, Jenkins said during Tuesday's meeting. The building is big enough to add firefighters as the city grows. The station is meant to accommodate growth for 40 to 50 years.

Currently, Fire Station No. 2 has three firefighters who will move to the new station, Jenkins said. There are no immediate plans to add firefighters, he said.

Aldermen OK'd Crossland Construction of Rogers to start building. Crossland submitted the lowest bid at $2,165,799, but the price was still higher than the estimate by about $300,000, said David Hook, facility development manager.

The price means the new station will cost about $186 per square foot, which is still less than what other fire departments in Northwest Arkansas have paid, Hook said. Jenkins said the city may see savings in items salvaged from the current station, but he didn't have any estimates for savings Tuesday.

City aldermen said they are looking forward to moving forward on the station.

"We're excited to get started," said Betsy Reithemeyer, an alderman.

NW News on 06/25/2014

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