From the City of Decatur’s Linda Harris…

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.

Tonight, the Decatur City Commission approved a $51,000 change-order for Fire Station #1, increasing the budget 3% from $1,792,000 to $1,843,000.

At the meeting, Deputy City Manager Hugh Saxon noted the reasons for the change, which are also noted in the city commission meeting materials…

• concealed or actual site and building conditions, including relocation and adjustment of underground utilities, an additional structural steel beam at the new dormitory addition, changes to the relocated fire pole assembly, the addition of a dry fire sprinkler system in the training tower and miscellaneous masonry, steel and concrete repairs ($31,000)
• owner’s and architect’s requirements, including improved lighting and electrical equipment, a new sidewalk and protective railing at the southwest corner of the building, a resilient rubber floor in the fitness room, and a heavy duty rainwater tank system ($19,700)

The project is on schedule to be completed in April and May 2012 with an LEED Gold Certification, according to Mr. Saxon.

On the agenda (page 58 of materials) for tonight’s Decatur City Commission meeting: awarding a $1,792,000 contract to D.A Edwards and Company of Atlanta for improvements to Decatur’s Fire Station #1.

The entire budget for the renovation is set at $2,340,000, which includes a 10% contingency $225,000 for new furniture, fixtures, etc, and $143,000 for LEED and construction administration services.

You may recall that  these projects are being paid for with partially federally subsidized Build America Bonds that the city took out late last year.

According to Deputy City Manager Hugh Saxon’s letter to the City Manager, D.A Edwards also recently built fire stations in Athens-Clarke County and Union City.  The building is being designed to meet LEED Silver – and perhaps LEED Gold – standards.

Mr. Saxon projects that the project will take between 10-12 months to complete.

Not to be outdone by its smaller sibling to the south, Decatur’s Fire Station #1 will attempt LEED Gold certification with its coming redesign.

In a Project Description submitted to the Decatur City Commission this past Monday night (page 36 of the Materials), Deputy City Manager Hugh Saxon noted that in addition to needed repairs like a new roof, gutters, downspouts, windows, overhead doors, mechanical and electrical systems, kitchen, dormitory, locker and bathrooms, the city will shoot for LEED Gold status with Fire Station #1 by implementing geothermal mechanical equipment, a gray water system to reduce water usage, along with other energy saving features.

Decatur’s new Fire Station #2 in Oakhurst achieved LEED Silver status upon completion last year.