Plans are under way for the Bridgeport Fire Department to get a makeover and the new look is expected to be completed next year.

 

“For the last four to five years we’ve been kicking around the idea of an upgrade,” Fire Chief Phil Hart said. “Two years ago we stated working on it then it was taken off the table. When City Manager Randy Wetmore took over we put it back on the table and we’ve been working on it since then. We’ve come up with a good design.

 

“It’s been a long time coming and everybody is excited about it.”

 

Last fall a study by NC Fire Recue Innovation Solutions was conducted to help see if an entirely new station at a new location would make more sense than renovating the current facility.

 

Hart was opposed to a new location and earlier this year City Council agreed with the Chief’s opinion that renovations at the current location was the best route to take.

 

In the June 14 Council meeting, the City’s Finance Director Monica Musgrave announced during a discussion on the revision to the City’s General Fund budget that $2 million was being set aside for fire department renovations.

 

That $2 million came about from CARES Act funds received as repayment for gross pay and benefits for police, fire and EMS.

 

“We’re hoping that will cover it,” Hart said. “Originally, the projected price was $1.3 million but that was two years ago. With the increase in price of building supplies we’ll just have to wait until the bids come in and see where we are with that.”

 

As far the actual plans go, the front part of the building — the old City Hall built in the early 1960s — would be torn down. A new two-story structure would go up in its place with administrative offices on the ground floor while the second story would be where the living quarters, day room, kitchen, bunk room and some rest rooms would be.

 

This new structure connected to seamlessly to the existing newer building which includes the bay area.

 

The building with the bay area will see renovations such as dry wall going up, a fresh coat of pain and minor issues such as a ramp coming out of the parking bay that has settled. A temporary fix was administered to keep the back of the trucks from dragging as they exit the building.

 

There are plans for another addition on the back side of the fire department that will also be two stories.

 

"This grass area here out back there will be an addition put on to that will include a training room and an exercise room,” Hart said. “The second story will be for additional storage.”

 

The ground floor level will also see the addition of a decontamination room and there will be a new roof over the entire facility.

 

“Not only have I had input into this but the staff members have too,” Hart said. “We’ve brought all the prints down and every shift has looked at them and they have put their recommendations in. Some of them have been put into place, others due to structural or engineering reasons haven’t been able to be added in. But everybody has had an opportunity to put their input into it.”

 

Hart said the plan right now is to have two or three different types of plans, take them back for Council to provide its input. Once that is determined, place it out to bid by late fall and have the bids back by the end of the year. The chief also said he and his staff will work accordingly with the contractors to prevent scenarios where construction would interfere with the Department being able to get to their equipment and respond quickly to a call.

 

“We’d like to see it completed by late fall next year if not sooner,” Hart said.

 

Editor’s Note: Top photo shows the front ground level brick portion of the Fire Department that will be torn down and replaced with a two-story building that would connect with the existing building where the parking bay is located. Middle photo is of Hart. Bottom photo shows the back area of the Fire Department where a two-story addition would be built that would house a training room, excercise room, decontamination room and scecond-floor storage.