Friday, May. 16, 2008
Officials fired up about plans for station
By TODD OVERMAN
City officials and others involved in the project participated in a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday at the site on the southeast corner of Bear Creek Parkway and Keller-Smithfield Road.
The station will cost no more than $3.52 million under a contract the council approved in April. Construction could take about 10 months. Preliminary site work has been going on for the past few weeks.
Mayor Pat McGrail said it was a project at least five years in the making. When he unsuccessfully campaigned to become mayor in 2003, he said, building the new station was his top priority. He credited the city council in making it a reality.
"Without the support of these gentlemen, this never would be happening no matter how bad I wanted it," McGrail said.
Two related bits of news are that plans are in the works to add a third ambulance to the city’s stable. And after the new station opens, it could house an all-terrain vehicle outfitted as an ambulance to serve emergencies along the trail or at nearby parks. McGrail said the new station is the ideal location for the ATV ambulance because of its midway location and proximity to the trail system.
The new station will likewise improve overall service, he said. "It will do nothing but make a great fire department even better."
Fire Chief Kelly King said the new station will improve the department’s coverage, especially around Hidden Lakes in southeast Keller. "We are hoping to make it a beautiful facility to share with all of you," he said.
Architect Carl Komatsu credited King and his staff for their preliminary work in planning the station. "Their critical eye will make this project a good one for the crews that will be here," he said.
The soaring cost of construction has been a challenge, Komatsu said, but the city council committed to keeping the stonework and other features that will make the facility special. "It will make it a better neighbor and a better fit to the nearby neighborhoods," he said.
John Avila, president of Thos. S. Byrne, said his company is the largest general contractor in Tarrant County. He acknowledged the company is still quite small compared to some of the firms doing large projects in Dallas.
"When we are doing work in our community, it is very special to us," Avila said. "Our company has been growing with you, the city of Keller."
He said the fire station will be the fifth city project for Thos. S. Byrne, after Keller Town Hall, the Police and Courts renovation and expansion, the Municipal Services Center and The Keller Pointe.
For City Manager Dan O’Leary, who began his career as a firefighter in San Marcos, the project is a special one.
"Fire stations tend to be very permanent in a community," he said. "This will be here 50 to 60 years from now. It’s always enjoyable to be part of something that will be around that long."
Print
E-Mail
