The fire station is closed. For now.
The West Manatee Fire Rescue Station 4, 407 67th Street W., Bradenton, is scheduled for demolition beginning Nov. 30, according to Capt. Chris Kiernan.
“Today marks the first week we have crews here,” Kiernan said at the Nov. 19 meeting, speaking from the administration building at 6417 Third Ave. W. in Bradenton.
During Station 4’s demolition and construction of the new station, fire and EMT crews and equipment were temporarily relocated Nov. 12 at the administration building.
Construction is expected to take six to eight months once demolition begins.
Before the current station, built in 1961, can be torn down, it must be checked for asbestos, which, if found, will need to be safely removed.
Kiernan said the building is empty, with even the remains of the station’s deceased fire dogs, Cinder and Heidi, having been preserved to await reburial on the site when construction is complete.
In the meantime, fire crews have been using the structure for ongoing training, breaking through sections of walls and practicing fire rescues through the roof.
Kiernan said the concrete block has been ordered for delivery Jan. 25.
Once the site is razed and prepared for construction, Chief Tom Sousa said the district would host a groundbreaking, tentatively planned in December.
“It’s too early to give an exact date,” Kiernan said.
Commissioner Randy Cooper thanked the Station 4 fire and EMS crews for their willingness to relocate during construction. “It’s just temporary. We really appreciate their cooperation,” he said.
And commissioners decided to put talks of selling the administration building on hold.
“It looks like the building’s going to be fully utilized for the next six to eight months,” Commissioner Al Robinson said.
Robinson initiated the conversation to look into selling the building in August, saying the district may not need a 12,000 square-foot building for such a small administrative staff.
Cooper said that with several surrounding parcels for sale, if the district decided to sell, it could create a 5-acre combination of parcels, which might be attractive to developers. “The potential’s out there,” he said.
Chair David Bishop said the item has been removed from the agenda until Station 4 is completed. “We’re not putting up a for sale sign right now,” he said, adding the district would entertain offers if any were received.
In other business, Sousa said the bids received for the district’s new fireboat are incomplete due to a confusing set of must-haves by the district, causing them to be thrown out. According to Sousa, rather than including two engine options on a single bid, the district will be asking vendors to create two separate bids, one with a jet engine and one with an outboard motor.
The board also held elections during the Nov. 19 meeting, installing Cooper as board chair for 2016. Commissioner George Harris was voted vice chair and Commissioner Larry Jennis as secretary/treasurer. All votes were unanimous.
Commissioners will next meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, at the administration building. The December meeting is canceled.