The City of Hollywood has decided to move forward with the construction of a new Fire Rescue and Beach Safety Complex on Hollywood Beach, which will cost an estimated $7.9 million, to replace the aging Fire Rescue Station #40 and to replace an outdated Public Safety Complex presently located within the Michigan Street Garage. The City broke ground on April 4.
The Fire Rescue and Beach Safety Department and the Hollywood Beach Community Redevelopment Agency identified a need for new and improved facilities and a need to better utilize the vacant historical buildings located at 347, 349 and 351 Madison St. and the vacant CRA property located at 707 S. Ocean Drive.
Public Affairs and Marketing Director Raelin Storey said the existing Fire Station, built in 1963, requires substantial renovations and lacks modern amenities like female bathrooms and separate dormitories for female and male firefighters. In addition, the Safety Complex, she said, does not contain enough space to meet the needs of beach safety personnel.
The new complex will be on CRA-owned land located several blocks south, making it significantly closer to the majority of high-rise residents in the southern portion of Hollywood, Storey said. According to documents submitted to the City Commission for consideration for approval of the project, the new location will provide for better response times and quicker access to the mainland. Currently, 92 percent of alarms are to the south, and 8 percent are to the north of the station. Upon relocation, alarms will be more equitably distributed, with 62 percent located to the south and 32 percent to the north, the document stated. In addition, this complex will allow the City of Hollywood Fire Rescue #62 Department to better respond to calls in adjacent municipalities.
“The commission decided we need to plan for the future,” Storey said. “Our beach is growing. It will continue to be a draw and will always have high-scale sites [like Margaritaville] on the beach.”
Funding for the multimillion-dollar project has created several hiccups for the City.
Storey said the City hoped to utilize CRA tax increment financing dollars for the project. However, to use these funds, Hollywood must receive approval from all of the taxing authorities (the hospital district, county district and the children services council), and as of press time, the county had not approved the allocation of the funds. If necessary, the City is prepared to borrow $3.8 million, to use $2.1 million from the General Obligation Bond fund — approved by Hollywood voters in November 2004 for public safety improvements, in which the replacement of Fire Rescue Station #40 was included — and to gather $2 million from the CRA for non-construction related improvements like landscaping.
When brought to the City Commission for approval in February, both Mayor Peter Bober and Commission Beam Furr questioned whether the City needed this project completed at this point, but the motion passed 5:2 nonetheless.
If all goes according to plan, construction will begin this month and will finish in May 2012.
Upon completion, the project will consist of a new two-story building. The first level will consist of enclosed access and egress vestibules, as well as screened vehicle storage, equipment storage and parking. There will be an apparatus area located adjacent to the main structure at mid-level with two double bays and storage. The existing historical buildings on the property will be rehabilitated and brought into compliance with governmental regulations without negatively impacting the historical facade.
Do you think the City is doing the right thing by moving forward with this project? E-mail your comments to brett@hollywoodgazette.com or post them online at www.hollywoodgazette.com.
