Included on the agenda for tonight’s Decatur City Commission meeting is a change order in the amount of $119,000 for additional work at Fire Station #1, which is currently under extensive renovation (page 25 of meeting materials).  According to Deputy City Manager Hugh Saxon, the change order was due to “concealed or actual site and building conditions”, and “owner and architect requirements”.

At the conclusion of the letter, Mr. Saxon states, “The work generally is complete and the Fire Department will be staffing the facility later this month.  Decatur Fire Station No. 1 is on track to receive LEED Gold or Platinum Certification for the U.S. Green Building Council.”

Now admittedly I haven’t been keeping the closest eye on FS1’s construction progress over the last few months, but since many of the renovation has occurred on the interior, its been difficult for the casual construction voyeur to get a sense of progress.

Mr. Saxon’s comments indicates that FS1 will be the first of the three big city renovations to be completed.  The Rec Center addition is still underway, while another letter from Mr. Saxon in tonight’s meeting materials regarding a 16-month lease on 2716 East Ponce to store maintenance vehicles and materials, indicates that the Public Works building will soon also begin its extensive renovation to accommodate both the city and schools public works departments, along with the city planning department.