Oxford will expand its fire station, adding living quarters to the existing structure at 217 S. Elm St., according to Fire Chief John Detherage.
The total project cost is expected to be not more than $425,700, according to city documents. The city had budgeted a total of $625,000 out of its capital improvement fund, but the expansion may come in even less than the projected amount, according to Service Director Mike Dreisbach.
The project will create a two-story addition, with each floor adding 1,200 usable square feet to the existing structure, Dreisbach said. The first floor will be a training room, while the upper floor will contain living quarters.
“When that firehouse was built in 1963, it was designed as a volunteer station. Now that we’ve got guys in it around the clock, we need more space,” said Detherage. Right now, the training and living quarters are all in one room, so the addition creates separate facilities, he explained. Between 65 and 70 people work for the fire department; Detherage is the only full-time employee, he said.
The work will be done by JK Custom Homes LLC, which has done work for Talawanda Local Schools, Dreisbach said. The project includes an alternate option for a full basement, and that is expected to cost $37,000, with the base bid being $350,000. That brings the total cost to $387,000.
The project had included a second alternate for a sprinkler system in the building, but Dreisbach said there was confusion in the bids over whether this was only for the new addition or for the entire structure. It’s meant to be for the entire structure, but there was considerable disparity in the bids. JK Custom Homes bid $12,000, while Empire Building Co. bid $13,000. A third company, DAG Construction Company, bid $90,500 just for the sprinklers.
Dreisbach said he intended to return to council with a new bid for the sprinklers. He expects it will be more than $12,000, but lower than $90,500. Councilman Richard Keebler said it was important to have a sprinkler system for the firehouse, noting that a blaze destroyed a volunteer firehouse in Mount Eden, Ky. this week.
Detherage said he expects the work to begin this fall and be complete in April.
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