CONSTRUCTION COST OF COA BUILDING $1,400,000 (subject to change) Unknown Furniture/Fixtures/Equipment costs

Baker County Volunteer Fire Department CDBG Grant Request for Fire Station Construction

Baker County Volunteer Fire Department The purpose of this presentation is to provide information about the fire department s bid for CDBG Taskforce approval for the construction of a new fire station to replace the current Station 70 located in Sanderson.

What exactly is a Fire Station? A fire station is defined by Merriam Webster as, A building housing fire apparatus and usually firefighters, but its really much more than that. Firefighters think of stations as their second home and something they can take pride and ownership in. The station is not just a place of business or a facility in which to store trucks. It is somewhere volunteer firefighters can congregate to fellowship, train, and break bread with their brother/sister firefighters and their families in order to build a cohesive team that can better serve the public.

Volunteer firefighter recruitment and retention BCVFD currently has 36 volunteer firefighters, of which only 12 could be considered active. Peak strength: 120 volunteer firefighters. Unpaid volunteers require some form of incentive to maintain high levels of participation and elevate morale. Intangible Tangible Recruitment and Retention Strategies should be based on making volunteers feel welcome and appreciated.

The current average lifespan of a volunteer firefighter is two years. What can we do to increase that? Baker County s volunteer firefighters save taxpayers an estimated $12 million per year. Can this county s taxpayers afford to pay that much extra every year in taxes? Current budget: $273,000 We are cost effective, which demonstrates the importance of supporting the volunteers.

BUDGET BREAKDOWN If grant funding is not awarded for station construction, then the fire assessment will have to be raised to fund the construction. The CDBG grant is more than our entire annual budget FD Budget Personnel 36.67% Operating 39.77% Capital 23.55%

Current - $273,276 36.67% Personnel, Volunteer Stipend, Benefits Fixed no leeway 39.77% Operating Flexible, with some leeway Vehicle Maintenance, Fuel, etc. 23.55% Capital Outlay Fixed, no leeway Replacement Costs for Gear, SCBA, etc. CURRENT BUDGET

FIRE DEPARTMENT HISTORY Formed in 1979 individual departments Consolidated in 1985 what we have today Fire Assessment of $25.00 in 1985 Assessment raised to $30.50 in 2008

Why does the volunteer fire department need a new fire station? Let s start with a general overview of the current working conditions that your VOLUNTEER firefighters have to cope with while serving the ENTIRE population of Baker County. As we go through this, ask yourself: Would I volunteer to work here for free? Do these stations feel welcoming? Do the stations convey a sense of appreciation for what the firefighters do?

STATION 10 (121 SOUTH)

Front door frame. Underneath the door. STATION 10 (121 SOUTH)

Any renovations that have been done to this station were financed by the volunteers themselves due to lack of funds in the department budget for station maintenance. STATION 10 (121 SOUTH)

STATION 10 (121 SOUTH)

The front of the station. STATION 10 (121 SOUTH)

Door to the bathroom Holes in the floor. STATION 10 (121 SOUTH)

Walls. STATION 10 (121 SOUTH)

Front of the station Back wall STATION 10 (121 SOUTH)

STATION 20 (121 NORTH)

Front of the station - garage door As seen from the insidereplaced with garage door STATION 20 (121 NORTH)

There is limited room for personnel. All the furniture at every station is either purchased or acquired by the volunteer firefighters. STATION 20 (121 NORTH)

STATION 20 (121 NORTH) The makeshift kitchen is located in the bay next to the vehicles.

STATION 20 (121 NORTH)

STATION 30 (CUYLER)

Window on side of building. Interior. STATION 30 (CUYLER)

Interior ceiling of the station Wall and ceiling STATION 30 (CUYLER)

The bathroom STATION 30 (CUYLER)

Kitchen counter STATION 30 (CUYLER)

Station 70 Sanderson Provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the western end of Baker County (including Olustee). Currently houses one engine and one rescue unit that is staffed by EMS. Engine 70 is a 1989 commercial cab chassis that carries 1000 gallons of water. It is being replaced with a larger, more capable surplus engine recently purchased from Jacksonville. The first floor consists of two vehicle bays, and a small bathroom. The second floor is the living quarters for EMS personnel.

The front of the station is 28 feet from the edge of US 90. Engine 70 is 27.4 feet long. It s future replacement, a surplus Jacksonville engine, is 31 feet long. When the current engine is pulled fully out of the bay, traffic on US 90 has to move over into oncoming traffic.

The former office for the volunteers had to be removed to fit the new, larger engine, leaving them with no space. Why do we need a new engine? Current one is 29 years old. Replacement parts for fire truck are becoming difficult to find. Older design of fire engines has little compartment space.

SPEAKING OF TRUCKS The Sanderson area has no water system sources such as hydrants which requires BCVFD to have tanker trucks with water. A three bay station is needed so a tanker can be relocated to western Baker County to provide water supply. Tankers currently respond from the station in Glen.

Railroad tracks are approximately 56 feet from the rear of the station.

Bottle water for drinking.

Leaking Roofs. Estimated cost of repair Sanderson roof: $15,000 The money is coming out of the revenues from the fire assessment, not extra money given by the county.

Ceiling of apparatus bay Exterior of the station

Let s do some comparisons..

City of Macclenny Fire/Rescue Station 1

Baker County Sheriff s Office

We propose a station with the following: 3 bay station (see attached) 20-25 year life span Land (see attached) Site Prep Furniture, Fixtures, Flooring, etc. ($150,000.00) $30,000.00 up front design $8,000.00 flooring $10,000.00 Appliances $2,000.00 Computer Networking $100,000.00 Beds, desks, tables, chairs, dishes, utensils, etc. GRANT REQUEST

With this Grant, the County will receive one (1) station that will be updated with modern living quarters. This station will be able to house a minimum of 4 personnel. Reduce response times There is a plan to hire Firefighters, will need a place for them to work Current stations not designed for full-time staff Based on some changes of the Lake Butler Station, the design will be within the Grant limits of $750,000. SUMMARY

Thank you for your time and consideration!

DRAWINGS OF A REPLACEMENT STATION FOR PASCO COUNTY (FIRE STATION 13). IT IS A 3-BAY DESIGN AND WE JUST AWARDED A BID OF $2,749,000 LAST MONTH. AT 9,389 SQUARE FEET, THE CONSTRUCTION COST IS ROUGHLY $293 PER SQUARE FOOT.

PASCO COUNTY ST-13 FLOOR PLAN

LAND FOR THE SANDERSON STATION

Memorandum To: Board of County Commissioners From: Kennie Downing, County Manager Date:, 2018 Re: Citizen Advisory Task Force Recommendations for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Application 2018 BACKGROUND On January 23, 2018 the Citizen Advisory Task Force met to discuss and review two potential projects for a Community Development Block Grant application for 2018. According to the CDBG grant guidelines the project must meet one of the following national objectives: The project must benefit the low-and moderate-income persons in the community, prevent or eliminate slums or blight; or address community development needs having a particular urgency because existing conditions pose a serious and immediate threat to the health or welfare of the community for which other funding is not available. At the January 23 rd meeting, the CATF didn t select either project, but asked for additional information so they could understand the financial impacts of both projects. On, 2018 CATF met again, reviewed and discussed the additional information for the Council on Aging building and the Sanderson Fire Station. This information is included and attached to this memo. Council on Aging Building- The proposed project is a 9,900 s.f. building that includes office space, dining room, commercial kitchen, game room, and country store. Construction cost =$1,400,000. Costs of Furniture, fixtures, and equipment = $1,400,000 plus unknown Sanderson Fire Station The proposed project is 5,952 s.f. with living quarters, sleeping quarters, and 3 vehicle bays. Construction Cost $750,000. Costs of Furniture, fixtures, equipment, and engineering services $100,000 = TOTAL $850,000. The Committee s task was to rank each project either Number 1 or Number 2 in terms of the project being a priority for the Baker County community. The CATF has ranked as #1; and as #2.

Citizen Advisory Task Force Recommendations for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Application 2018 FISCAL IMPACT The CDBG grant offers $750,000 for construction of the project with no matching funds required. If construction costs exceed $750,000, the grant applicant (the Board) would need to fund the difference in cost prior to applying for the grant. Such funding options may include: 1) Defer the project until sufficient funds are saved 2) Accept donations from various sources until funds are raised 3) Request a legislative appropriation 4) Apply for a loan, or 5) Other alternative. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended the Board of County Commissioners review the first and second ranked projects as recommended by the CATF and select a project to apply for the CDBG grant for 2018. 2