Procurement News Notice |
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| PNN | 1332 |
| Work Detail | ity of Katy officials are in the process of purchasing land to relocate the site of the city’s second fire station after flooding inundated the station’s originally planned site.]]> Officials are looking to buy land for an undisclosed price near Katy Mills Mall, which would be east of where the original placement existed on the south side of Kingsland Boulevard and west of Pin Oak Road, according to Byron Hebert, city administrator. The original location flooded when 12-17 inches of rain poured over the Katy area on April 18, swelling nearby bayous and creeks. The flooding of that location concerned city officials for the future of the planned station, Hebert said. “You know, when you see that much water at that location – I don’t want to put a station there anymore,” Hebert said. “It would cost us a whole lot more to have to raise that road so high.” The three bay, roughly 14,000-square-foot planned station has been in the works for years. The city owned part of the land at the station’s original site before purchasing two more acres last year for approximately $300,000 in order to construct an access road. The city still plans to develop a nature park and walking trail there, which would have existed next to the station before the decision on the relocation, Hebert said. Various areas of Houston experienced catastrophic flooding in the spring as nonstop downpour caused waterways to rise out of their banks. At least eight people died in the region due to the floods and thousands of homes, including in Katy, were damaged. Federal disaster declarations were announced for several counties in the region. To this day, some residents in Katy and other parts of Houston are still repairing homes and needing assistance. Kingsland Boulevard was one of Katy’s most impacted areas. The city would not have been able to dispatch emergency vehicles out of that location if the planned fire station would have been there then, Hebert said. The city’s recently hired fire chief, Russell Wilson, agrees with the decision to relocate. “I think it’s common sense that dictates that we have to move it from where it was located,” Wilson said. “It’s very likely to be closer to the mall, and of course, we make a lot of runs to the mall, so that will be useful.” The current fire station serves about 16,000 people inside the 11-square-mile city. In recent years, the city has given more resources to its fire department in order to match the growth in Katy. It largely began with investment into a second fire station, which a consultant told the city years ago it needs to build in order for the fire department to maintain its Insurance Services Office rating at 2, with 1 being the best and 10 the worst. The rating affects property insurance premiums paid by residents. Relocating the second station’s site will not affect the city’s ISO rating because, according to consultant Mike Pietsch of PE Consulting Services of Garland, the city has until 2023 to construct another fire station if it desires to retain its rating. The city has also hired extra firefighters recently and will continue to do so as it prepares for the second station, Wilson said. After Oct. 1, the beginning of the city’s new fiscal year, the city will also create a second assistant fire chief position and equipment operator positions, as well as add six firefighters to the force, according to Wilson. The city will have 42 firefighters and EMS personal in its fire unit. “I think (the expansions) just strengthens up the structure of the fire department,” Wilson said. The city is using $5 million from a 2014 voter-approved bond mostly to pay for construction of the new fire station. The city used about $1 million of the bond to purchase a new fire truck, which is being housed at its current fire station on Avenue D until the second station is ready. The relocation of the new station will cause a delay to its opening, Hebert said. He’s still hoping for a 2017 opening, but the date could be pushed back into 2018. Construction of the station has previously experienced delays because of issues such as the city and property owners having disagreements on a buying price. Hebert said he expects the city to close on a land deal for the station’s new location in the next several weeks. |
| Country | United States , Northern America |
| Industry | Real Estate |
| Entry Date | 02 Sep 2016 |
| Source | http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/ranch/news/city-of-katy-to-purchase-land-for-relocation-of-second/article_da3c2cf8-38c7-549c-89a5-9531a37c4e30.html |
