OCEAN CITY — A clearly divided Ocean City Council this week voted down a request to spend $30,000 on the preliminary design for a new midtown firehouse during a larger debate on several major capital expenditures on which the town is already committed.
On Tuesday, the Mayor and Council had before them four proposed bids for preliminary design, engineering and cost analysis for replacing the existing Station 3 firehouse at 74th Street with a new facility on the front lot of the Public Safety Building at 65th Street. The Request For Proposal (RFP) was budgeted for $30,000 and would provide the council with vital information needed before moving forward with the proposed relocation of Station 3 to the 65th Street area.
However, the typically routine procedure of opening the submitted bids for the RFP and turning them over to the appropriate staff for review and ultimately a recommendation was put on hold after some councilmembers called into question the need for replacing and moving Station 3 at a time when the resort already has several major capital projects with hefty price tags at various stages of the approval process. Councilman Wayne Hartman said he recently toured the existing Station 3 firehouse with Chief Chris Larmore and learned while the aging facility had some shortcomings, it could be used for another five years or longer.
“I took a tour of the firehouse and the chief told me it could last another five years, maybe 10,” he said. “One thing we have never heard is what it would cost to renovate the existing firehouse. There are a lot of issues to re-evaluate before moving forward with this.”
It was pointed out replacing and relocating Station 3 to 65th Street was part of a long-term strategic plan regarding the fire service that had been discussed for years and spending the $30,000 on the RFP at this point was the next step in that process. However, Hartman said that process was set in motion before resort officials decided to tackle several other major capital projects and land purchases.
“A lot has happened since then,” he said. “We’ve recently approved a $25 million public works campus plan and another $14 million for the expansion of the convention center and on and on. We have at least $40 million tied up in construction projects we’ve approved and we haven’t seen a financial plan.”
Included in the preliminary plan for the new Station 3 at 65th Street are proposed living quarters for firefighters involved in the live-in program, which provides residences for young firefighters in exchange for their commitment to the department while also providing manpower at the stations when needed. Hartman said it hadn’t been determined if there was a need for the expanded live-in program before space at the proposed new firehouse was dedicated to it.
“I’d like to see what the financial return is on the live-in program,” he said. “I’d really like to see a study on the effectiveness of that program. Are we really seeing any return? … I think we need to take a step back and look at our priorities. I understand the interest rates are low, but there is a lot of construction going on and those costs are going to rise. The chief said five more years, maybe 10, and the employees have said they would rather have more workers than a new building.”
Councilman Matt James, also an Ocean City firefighter, agreed the plan for a new station should probably be put on hold.
“I don’t disagree with anything you’ve said,” he said. “The chief agreed we don’t necessarily need this right now. Let’s put it on the back burner and get through some of these other things.”
City Engineer Terry McGean said more life could be eked out of the existing firehouse if that was what the council decided, but cautioned against putting much more money into the existing facility. He pointed out the facility and the land on which it is situated had limitations.
“If this is short-term to get us through a couple more years, that’s one thing,” he said. “If this is prolonging its life beyond that and sinking a couple of hundred thousand into it, that’s another thing.”
Larmore seemed to take umbrage with the notion the live-in program might not be earning its keep. He pointed out it was true the town could get more life out of Station 3, but also said the resort had a plan in place to systematically improve its facilities and infrastructure.
“I would welcome the opportunity to come before the Mayor and Council and explain the live-in program,” he said. “As far as the future of Station 3 goes, could we go another five years? Sure. We could have also gone another five years with the headquarters at 15th Street and the beach patrol headquarters, for example.”
Larmore pointed out the town had been steadily investing in its fire department and other departments in recent years, pointing out the $2 million renovations at fire headquarters on 15th Street, the new $4 million station at Montego Bay and the new fire boat, for example.
“If the council economically chose to put this on hold, we would respect that,” he said. “That’s up to you to decide. The need is there, but there is also a want. We can provide exceptional service out of that building, whatever you decide.”
McGean reiterated it would not be in the town’s best interest to sink more money on a Band-Aid fix for the existing firehouse if it meant a significant investment.
“If you all would rather see this $30,000 spent somewhere else, that’s up to you,” he said. “I wouldn’t put hundreds of thousands of dollars into this because it’s not expandable, but we could get some more life out of it if that’s what you decide.”
Councilman Dennis Dare said replacing the midtown fire station and relocating it to 65th Street had been in the works for years.
“We’ve been talking about these firehouses for 14 years,” he said. “When we talk about upgrading our infrastructure, we’re looking at the big picture and we’re looking at how we’re going to address our needs.”
Dare said including quarters for the live-in program in the new design made sense for a variety of reasons.
“A solution that has proven to be successful is the live-in program,” he said. “It puts firefighters where they are needed. Right now, if there is a north-end fire, beside Ocean City the first responder is Bethany Beach. A volunteer company 10 miles away is our backup plan on the north end.”
Dare said the time was now to act on the new Station 3 firehouse because of the limitation of the existing midtown station.
“We have an undersized firehouse on an undersized property in midtown,” he said. “We’re restricted on how many people and how much equipment we can put in there. That is the center of town. It makes more sense to have more equipment and more manpower in the center of town that can go north and south.”
Hartman said he did not disagree, but also wanted to curb spending if possible with so many other major projects in the pipeline.
“We’re being told this can last,” he said. “We just got through approving something that wasn’t in the strategic plan with the $25 million campus plan. It’s just a wish list. For us not to see the implications on our debt service is really a false reality. Just because it’s on our strategic plan does not always mean it’s possible.”
Mayor Rick Meehan pointed out a few things related to the town’s financial commitment to the major projects already on the books. For example, the state is on the hook for the lion’s share of the $25 million public works campus renovation with the town’s contribution around $11 million. In addition, the state will pay a portion of the proposed convention center expansion with the town’s share coming out of a percentage point on the food tax. Meehan said the town’s debt service responsibilities would be carefully reviewed during the upcoming budget sessions.
“We going to review the capital improvement plan during the budget,” he said. “We will take a close look at our indebtedness. There will be those discussions in the next few weeks at budget time.”
Councilman John Gehrig said strong cases were made for both sides, but agreed it’s prudent to take a step back with the station replacement.
“I agree with parts of what everybody is saying,” he said. “There is a reason to push the pause button here. We talk about spending more and more money during every meeting. I don’t know if I’m supportive of committing to spend more money right now.”
Council President Lloyd Martin said moving forward with the RFP for the Station 3 firehouse made sense in the larger context.
“I don’t disagree, but I do believe proper planning makes this a better city,” he said. “This is planning for the future. It makes no sense to pause on this right now.”
McGean said the $3.3 million cost estimate bandied around might not be a true figure for the new Station 3 firehouse and only the RFP could provide an accurate number.
“My big caution with that $3.3 million number is that it’s only a placeholder,” he said. “That is not a number you want to go to the bond market with without spending this $30,000 first. We need more information …”
Councilman Tony DeLuca said there were several moving parts in the debate.
“It comes down to two basic issues, the need and the funding,” he said. “I haven’t heard a compelling argument for the need. As far as funding, it seems like we’re building this totem pole with the campus plan at $25 million, the convention center expansion, the Whiteside facility and now Station 3.”
Hartman made a motion to reject the submitted RFP bids, a motion seconded by James.
“We’re going through a lot of change right now,” he said. “Let’s take a step back and take a closer look at this. I don’t think that’s unreasonable.”
Martin, however, continued to push for moving forward with the RFP process.
“This is proper planning that started a long time ago,” he said. “We agreed to fund this request for proposal to move forward with the project. We need to prioritize. This puts us in a position to know what the cost will be. Whether we do this now or five years from now, it doesn’t matter.”
The council voted 4-3 to reject the RFP bids, essentially putting firehouse replacement project on the back burner for now, with Hartman, James, Gehrig and DeLuca in favor and Dare, Martin and Council Secretary Mary Knight opposed.
