Springfield Business Journal_2021-06-07

14 · SBJ.NET JUNE 7-13, 2021 GOVERNMENT Duke Avenue. Even before the tax renewal in 2017, Pennington said his department was discussing fire coverage areas with City Council. “We knew our stations – particularly in areas where we needed to add new sta- tions 13 and 14 – were underserved areas,” he said. “Also, station 4 and 7 that were be- tween 50 and 60 years old at the time were just in a state of exceeding their usable life. They were built in the 1950s and ’60s. Even getting our trucks into those stations began to be a challenge because the size and dimensions of the apparatus when they were built is different than what we have today.” Pennington said calls for service were down year-over-year in 2020, largely due to the pandemic. However, the call total reached 18,566 in 2019, up nearly 15% from 2016. Keeping the stations operable has become a challenge, he said, noting plumbing and structural issues. The department operates 12 fire stations. Swan said the budget for construction of station 13 is $3.3 million, while station 7’s demolition and rebuild is estimated at $3 million. “The design and land procurement for these stations was all pay-as-you-go,” she said, noting a series of bonds will pay for construction. In design Square footage for the stations will range 6,000-7,000 square feet, Swan said. They are designed with primarily brick exteri- ors to maintain the traditional character of the existing stations. The early two-story designs for the stations were scrapped due to cost concerns. “They’re not modern. They’re just very traditional looking,” Swan said. New stations aren’t the only projects in the works for the Fire Department. “There are numerous other fire station improvements that are taking place as a part of the level property tax,” Pennington said, noting renovations such as eliminat- ing carpet, repairing parking lots and up- dating emergency power generation. “The scope really widely varies based on the need of the building.” He said large industrial washing ma- chines for cleaning firefighters’ gear and workout facilities beyond free weights – such as treadmills and rowing machines – will be part of the new stations. Private bathrooms, lodging and lactation rooms also are in the design. The planning phase identified what a fire station of today and for the next 50 years should look like and how to address employees’ desires, he said. “Our firefighters spend a third of their life in a fire station. They’re on for 24 hours, then off for 48,” he said. “It’s home for them and we want to make sure it’s a nice place.” All the new stations will have annual maintenance and staff budgeted through the level property tax, Swan said. Eye on equipment Pennington said the 236-employee Fire Department’s annual budget is gener- ally in the $20 million-$21 million range. However, around 94% of the funds are dedicated to personnel, leaving little for operations, he said. All department staff are considered city employees, he said, adding it has union and non-union workers. He said the union contracts with International Association of Fire Fighters and International Broth- erhood of Electrical Workers are both cur- rently in negotiations. The department has members of both IAFF and IBEW. IAFF’s contract expires at the end of this month and IBEW’s ends in June 2022, he said. That’s what makes the level property tax vital to take on the department’s new and ongoing investments over the next five years, he said, noting most of the station renovations will start in 2023. “Somewhere between 2023 and 2026, you’ll see a lot of those happening,” Pen- nington said, adding the completion of the renovation projects will vary based on availability of contractors and subcontrac- tors. City Council must approve all appropri- ations, Swan said. “We can’t do a (request for proposal) or anything to even get design consultants on board until we have the money approved by council,” she said. The tax funding stream also bolsters fleet and equipment needs, Pennington said. The 20-year lifespan of trucks in- cludes 15 years of service, then another five years in reserve. “We’re replacing trucks at a pace of usu- ally one a year for the foreseeable future,” he said, noting fire engines are typically $650,000. Pennington said the trucks take more than a year to receive from when the pur- chase order is placed. The high volume of orders combined with fewer companies building trucks contribute to the long turnaround time. “Any fire truck we order is about 420 days from when we order until time of de- livery,” he said. 417-831-5634 | 1-800-884-1918 | www.DeltaRoofing.n et 1637 W. College St. | (417) 863-1313 | kenmarconst.com Visualizing change? Build new or renew with Kenmar Construction. C O M M E R C I A L C O N S T R U C T I O N & R E N O V A T I O N Fire Station 4 in northeast Springfield is slated to be operational by spring 2022. $9.5M Funds generated in fiscal 2020 by Springfield’s level property tax Fire: Building renovations also in the works utilizing city’s level property tax Continued from page 9 provided by CITY OF SPRINGFIELD by Geoff Pickle · gpickle@sbj.net The Missouri Technology Corp. an- nounced a grant for Missouri State Uni- versity’s Efactory business incubator. Paige Oxendine, assistant director of the Efactory, said the grant amount is $250,000. The Efactory grant is earmarked for an initiative called Supercharge Southwest Missouri, according to a news release. The program is designed to le- verage innovation and entrepreneurship assets in more than 16 coun- ties. It’s part of more than $1 mil- lion awarded by the MTC for entrepreneurs and research institutions. The Missouri Building Entrepreneurial Ca- pacity Program has awarded roughly $27 million in grants to date. “This program helps our state create an environment where entrepreneurs and startups can thrive,” said Rob Dixon, director of the Mis- souri Department of Eco- nomic Development, in the release. “These innovators are the future of Missouri’s economy and we’re happy to support their continued growth.” Efactory secures $250K grant Rob Dixon : Grant helps entrepreneurs thrive.