Proposal calls for makeover of two aging Keller fire stations

A couple of fire stations in Keller may be in store for a makeover.

The Keller City Council received three bids for renovations to the stations at its meeting earlier last month. They voted to move forward with discussions about one of the sealed bids, with a possible vote at their Jan. 16 meeting.

"This renovation will be the first for any of the fire stations here in Keller," said Fire Chief David Jones. "The two stations included in this project have provided faithful service to the city for the past 23 years, but are beginning to show their age just like one’s home.”

The project will include renovations to Fire Station 2, 737 Keller-Smithfield Rd. North and Station 3 at 1500 Rufe Snow Dr. And a new building also will be built behind Fire Station 2. Fire Stations 2 and 3 were both opened in 1994.

"The new remote building behind Fire Station 2 will also be a great addition, allowing us to keep all of our equipment and reserve apparatus at a fire station instead of an old building across town," Jones said.

According to a city official, the new building will serve as a support services building to house reserve fire apparatus, storage, and equipment for the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers.

The proposed fire station renovations will include:

• Improved parking accessibility and building access.
• Improved flooring in the kitchen, laundry, dining, vestibule, watch room and hallway areas.
• New flooring, wall tile, paint and accessories in the restroom/shower areas.
• Replacing the exterior finish of the building itself; providing a new roof, gutters and down spouts; replacing the sectional bay doors in the apparatus bays; replacing the HVAC system; and providing a new apparatus bay ventilation system.

Currently, equipment and reserve apparatus is housed at an old fire station only used for storage purposes, on Keller Parkway. Once the project is complete, the city intends to demolish this old fire station, which was built in 1983, and sell the land for commercial use.

The original budget for the construction portion of the project is just under $2.3 million, but the bids the city has received are all higher, said Keller Public Information officer Rachel Reynolds. About $300,000 more will likely be needed and that would come from the fiscal year 2017 departmental savings in the fire department, she said.

Reynolds said this project also is part of the city’s capital improvement plan with funds provided for by the issuance of general obligation bonds.

“An actual deadline will be established upon award of the project, but we expect the renovation portion to take approximately two months per station and six to nine months for construction of the new building," Reynolds said.

Keller has a third station at 455 Keller-Smithfield Rd. South, but there are currently no plans for work on that location.

This story was originally published January 3, 2018 at 11:24 AM with the headline "Proposal calls for makeover of two aging Keller fire stations."