Maitland City Talk

It won’t be long before our present Maitland Fire Station No. 45 (MFS # 45) that has graced the north side of Packwood Avenue since 1973 will be missing from the city’s skyline. After having outlived its service to the city, the fire station will be razed very soon to make way for its new “state of the art” replacement. Pre-demolition activities (locating and shutting off utilities; removing old paver bricks for future use; cleaning out furniture, equipment, etc.) are under way, and the demolition crews will be onsite soon. The fire department has already held a very moving de-commissioning ceremony, and the station personnel, along with their trucks and other equipment have been relocated to temporary facilities north of Horatio Avenue on the city’s parking lot. The projected completion date for our new the fire station is the end of December 2011.

The new facility will fully meet the fire department’s needs, now and in the foreseeable future that the old building could not. This includes housing the administrative offices that are currently located offsite. This will save the city approximately $28,000 in annual rent and provide for much greater department efficiency. The station is designed with much-needed drive-through bays for the Fire Department’s vehicles, one of Chief Neuhard’s key objectives, which affords much better vehicle circulation and easier access. The new building will also have more comfortable and soundproof living facilities for the firefighters, as well as upgraded meeting and training facilities including an outside rappelling area that will be incorporated into the roof structure.

From an urban design standpoint, the new fire station represents the city’s first step in keeping true to its initiative to set the style and quality parameters for future downtown growth and re-development. The facility will be three stories high with quality construction materials that reflect a neo-traditional architectural design and which frame Packwood Avenue with a truly handsome and functional building. Landscaping and exterior site furnishings will be brought up to modern code standards, and the “campus” of the fire station will be attractive, as well as utilitarian. Every effort has been made to preserve the existing trees on the site including the “Century Oak” which has been incorporated into the landscape plan.

Recognizing the importance of responsible utilization of natural resources and sustainability of building design and construction, our City Council has directed that all new city buildings will be LEED certified under the auspices of the U.S. Green Building Council. Our new fire station is no exception. The LEED green building certification program encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through a rating system that recognizes projects which implement strategies for better environmental and health performance. The LEED certification will ensure that the new fire station will have a minimal “impact” on the environment.

The need for the new fire station, as well as our new recently completed police station on the west side, was realized by our citizens years ago. They passed a referendum to issue bonds for the construction of these new facilities. In knowing how important it is for our citizens to have the best first responder service available (and we do), these new stations have to respond with the newest available design and technologies. In keeping with that directive, I believe that we have provided and will continue to provide just such facilities. We are all looking forward to the opening of this new fire station to help ensure the continued top quality first responder service that all our citizens are entitled to and deserve.