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St. Lucie County Proud of New Station
St. Lucie's new fire station is pretty, practical
By Jim Reeder, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Saturday, September 27, 2003
PORT ST. LUCIE -- With a red barrel-tile roof and arches along the porch, the building could be an expensive house in one of St. Lucie County's new developments.
But it's the St. Lucie County Fire District's new Station 13 on Becker Road, a replacement for the modular building that housed the station for the past eight years.
Many passersby have asked Chief Jay Sizemore about the district's extravagance on such a fancy building.
"I wish people would get off my back," Sizemore said Friday. "I keep hearing county commissioners talk about public-private partnerships. Well, here it is."
The Ginn Co., developers of the nearby Tesoro project, contributed $475,000 to pay for the fancy exterior to blend with their project's architecture.
Fire district officials budgeted $1.1 million, the same as for any other station, Deputy Chief Ron Parrish said.
Al Jones, president of The Ginn Co.'s southeastern region, said its decision to pay for the station's exterior was a "no-brainer."
Construction will start next May on a new interchange for Florida's Turnpike, just west of the new station.
"This station will be the front door to Tesoro, the first thing people see," Jones said. "A fire station is as big an asset as a school in a new development."
Friday, the fire district held a grand opening and dedication of the station.
The 6,500-square-foot building has several firsts for a St. Lucie County fire station.
It's the first to have a sheriff's substation, a separate restroom for women firefighters and features to make it accessible to the handicapped.
Sheriff Ken Mascara said officers who serve subpoenas and other court papers in that area will operate out of the station.
"If someone's not home the deputy can leave a card telling them they can pick up the papers here," Mascara said. "Sometimes they're not happy to get those papers, of course."
The sheriff's office also has a restroom and enough space that deputies could sleep there during a major storm and be ready to work when the storm passes.
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By Jim Reeder, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Saturday, September 27, 2003
PORT ST. LUCIE -- With a red barrel-tile roof and arches along the porch, the building could be an expensive house in one of St. Lucie County's new developments.
But it's the St. Lucie County Fire District's new Station 13 on Becker Road, a replacement for the modular building that housed the station for the past eight years.
Many passersby have asked Chief Jay Sizemore about the district's extravagance on such a fancy building.
"I wish people would get off my back," Sizemore said Friday. "I keep hearing county commissioners talk about public-private partnerships. Well, here it is."
The Ginn Co., developers of the nearby Tesoro project, contributed $475,000 to pay for the fancy exterior to blend with their project's architecture.
Fire district officials budgeted $1.1 million, the same as for any other station, Deputy Chief Ron Parrish said.
Al Jones, president of The Ginn Co.'s southeastern region, said its decision to pay for the station's exterior was a "no-brainer."
Construction will start next May on a new interchange for Florida's Turnpike, just west of the new station.
"This station will be the front door to Tesoro, the first thing people see," Jones said. "A fire station is as big an asset as a school in a new development."
Friday, the fire district held a grand opening and dedication of the station.
The 6,500-square-foot building has several firsts for a St. Lucie County fire station.
It's the first to have a sheriff's substation, a separate restroom for women firefighters and features to make it accessible to the handicapped.
Sheriff Ken Mascara said officers who serve subpoenas and other court papers in that area will operate out of the station.
"If someone's not home the deputy can leave a card telling them they can pick up the papers here," Mascara said. "Sometimes they're not happy to get those papers, of course."
The sheriff's office also has a restroom and enough space that deputies could sleep there during a major storm and be ready to work when the storm passes.
[email protected]