By Adam Swift
Construction on the new Alden Mills Point of Pines Fire Station can get underway pending the approval of an additional $6.4 million for the project. A public hearing on the loan order was ordered to a public hearing at the City Council’s March 27 meeting. The council initially approved a $9.2 million loan order for the new fire station in Ward 5 in 2019. The additional appropriation will bring the total cost of the new station up to $15.6 million, according to Richard Viscay, and will cover all demolition and construction costs for the project. “This is the final amount we will need to be in construction of a new Point of Pines fire station,†said Viscay. “We’ve put the project out to bid, we have all of our bids in, we have our architect, we have our owner’s project manager. As it stands right now, in order to get this project going, we will need a loan order of $6.4 million.†Viscay said the $15.6 million total includes everything listed in the project by the owner’s project manager, covering costs for all the bids that have come in and providing for contingency costs. “This is the entire project as bid out by the purchasing agent and the owner’s project manager,†said Viscay. The project has faced delays due to state DEP concerns about the potential of flooding on the site, but the DEP withdrew its appeal of the matter last year. The new, three-bay station will include a community room as well as a place to house the department’s watercraft. A new Point of Pines station has been seen as an essential service for that area of the city as development has continued along Revere Beach and the Riverfront area. Due to the recent growth of the city and the need for additional services for the Point of Pines, Oak Island and beach front communities, the Point of Pines Fire Station underwent a feasibility study to determine if continue full-time use of the station could commence with improvement of the existing building or replacement of the building was necessary to meet modern fire and EMS services, city officials stated on the website for the project. In addition, the city emergency services are in need of a training center, and the Point of Pines community is in need of a voting center and a gathering point for other such community activities. Based on the results of the feasibility study, the consultants determined the modern needs for fire and EMS services had rendered the existing building cost prohibitive for repairs and upgrades. Design services were procured for the replacement of the fire station to include modern fire and EMS services, a training center for the city emergency services, and provide the Point of Pines a community room for voting, meetings, and community activities.
