PA Residents Offered Look at Station Plans

May 22 -- Reading residents can get a first glimpse at what would be the two newest fire stations in the city this week.

Two meetings are planned to discuss early designs for a fire station in the 900 block of Penn Street and another at Ninth and Marion streets.

Those interested in learning about the design ideas for the Ninth and Marion street station can attend a meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Albright College's Roessner Hall, 1940 N. 13th St. The other meeting for the Penn Street station is set for Thursday at 7 p.m. at 10th & Penn Elementary School.

On Monday, Fire Chief William I. Stoudt Jr. told members of City Council on Monday during their committee of the whole meeting about the need to replace the fire stations at Ninth and Marion and Eighth and Court streets.

Those stations are showing their age and struggle to house the 40-ton ladder trucks and 25-ton fire engines of today, Stoudt said.

"These places weren't designed to hold that," he said.

The new station at Ninth and Marion could be built across the street at the site of a small playground. A new playground could be put at the site of the demolished fire station, city officials said.

Stoudt outlined possible floor plans and sketches from Wyomissing-based Kauter & Kelley Architects. The Ninth and Marion station could feature three or four bays and some off-street parking spaces in addition to improved living quarters and facilities for firefighters.

The current fire station dates to the late 1800s and is the oldest remaining in the city.

Managing Director W. Glenn Steckman III said the designs are very preliminary, but they offer a look at what is possible. A cost estimate is still be determined. An early goal is to get construction started by mid-2019.

The sketches for the station in the 900 block of Penn Street could allow for a drive-through option, meaning firefighters would not have to back their trucks into the garage bays. It would also feature some off-street parking.

"This was a total surprise, the concept of doing a drive-through station," Steckman said. "It would be a benefit to the (firefighters) and the neighbors that we're not tying up Penn Street at times. The guys do a good job of getting their equipment backed in, but it can be a stressful thing, backing a large piece of equipment into a fire station."

Councilwoman Lucine Sihelnik asked if the city would pursue LEED certification for the building, which would vouch for its energy-efficiency and sustainability.

Steckman said costs could play a factor, but the goal is to make the stations as sustainable as possible since they are expected to last a long time.

"These buildings are going to be block and brick or some kind of concrete," Steckman said. "These buildings will be standing in very good condition 50 years from now."

Councilman John Slifko said the city could recoup some savings over time if the buildings are built to be energy-efficient.

"If these buildings are being built to last, all the more reason that they should be green and sustainable," he said.

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