By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer
The Carrboro Board of Aldermen gave the go ahead for the next phase of planning for the new northern fire station on Homestead Road.
After a presentation Tuesday night at Town Hall of a rough building design and site layout by Ken Newell, architect with Stewart, Cooper and Newell, the board approved moving ahead with construction drawings.
If the station stays on the current schedule, construction could start as early as next summer. With a budget of $2,749,703, the station is the largest town project since the construction of the Main Street fire station. The station is being constructed on a narrow 1.6-acre parcel being leased from the university at $1 per year.
Newell told the board that after two charrettes that looked at ways to handle the site challenges as well as preserve a stand of significant trees, a new, elongated design seems to solve most of the concerns raised.
Newell said the design would not disturb the soil around the drip line of a 200-year-old holly tree that was one of the key trees residents said they wanted to protect.
“Obviously, every tree couldn’t be saved,†Newell said., adding that designers worked to save as many as possible.
The new design would include vehicle bays at the front of the building with an entrance for the fire trucks at the western end of the site, and an exit for the trucks and access to parking for the station at the eastern end across Homestead Road from the entrance to the Winmore subdivision.
Fire Chief Travis Crabtree said he was pleased with the new station design and was looking forward to the start of construction.
“We feel like we’ve got a floor plan which can work very well for our staff,†he said.
Living quarters for the firefighters are at the back of the site and include a kitchen and
dining hall with a small outside patio.
In other action Tuesday night, the board agreed to a six-year capital improvement projects plan. The plan is reviewed each year to give direction to the town manager in drafting the next fiscal year budget.
Town Manager Steve Stewart detailed the current strategy, which focuses on sidewalks and greenways, a major reconstruction of Weaver Street and fleet purchases, including those to equip the expanding fire department.
The sidewalk plan, supported by up to $4.6 million in bonds authorized by the voters in 2003, is being phased over several years. Ten of 20 sidewalk projects have thus far been completed.
The town is also looking at a potential round of additional funding through additional money being set aside by the state Department of Transportation for sidewalk and pedestrian and bike improvements.
Town planners have also identified projects near Wilson Park and Estes Drive, BPW Club Road and the Bolin Creek greenway as potential uses for new DOT funds.
Mayor Mark Chilton and others advocated for adding sidewalks along Rogers Road either through the DOT funds or the town’s sidewalk plan.
The Weaver Street reconstruction project stems from a 1997 study that showed the street was in poor condition below the surface, a more expensive prospect to fix than resurfacing because it require greater excavation. The town is also trying to coordinate with the Orange Water and Sewer Authority, which wants to replace the existing water main, which is 78 years old, with a newer and larger main. The reconstruction and resurfacing project is estimated to cost $1.3 million with an additional $1.27 million in potential sidewalk improvements.
Chilton said that given the cost of the roadway fix, sidewalk improvements will likely have to be phased in.