NK fire station effort earns support from supervisors

A monetary boost for the Lanexa Fire/Rescue Station 4 building effort from New Kent’s Board of Supervisors means the temporary station could be fully operational by the end of the year.

Monday night, supervisors voted 5-0 to spend $11,500 to cover cost of installing doors, a concrete apron, and engineering inspections. They also approved spending up to $10,000 for grading and applying gravel to create a driveway and vehicle turnaround.

Organizers have worked tirelessly this year to raise money. Most of the close to $55,000 in work paid for to date has come from fund-raising events. Their latest effort, a Dec. 5 hot chocolate social, netted $3,300. The county, meanwhile, supplied just over $24,000 last spring for operations and structure improvements.

Organizers had expected to approach supervisors on Monday for just over $20,000 needed to complete the job, but a spokesman, Jack Chalmers, delivered what he termed “bad news.” An earlier $3,000 estimate for driveway/turnaround work has ballooned to $18,000.

Driving up the cost is stabilizing the ground. Soft spots exist that could result in a 25-ton fire truck sinking, he said. Heavy stone must be brought in to serve as a sturdy base for the driveway and turnaround areas, he said, adding, “The biggest expense is hauling dirt away, and gravel is really expensive.”

Money from the recent social has helped with other costs, Chalmers told the board, but now the bottom line request totals $31,500.

Some board members, however, termed the revised driveway estimate as excessive, urging organizers to negotiate a better deal and come back at a later board meeting. But District 5 representative Ray Davis successfully pushed for action, saying, “We need to okay something now and get this operating.”

Supervisors agreed on the $10,000 figure, leaving the door open for negotiation and further action should the final price tag be higher.

A 40×50-foot steel, two bay structure has been erected on a concrete pad at the Route 60 location in Lanexa and a fire truck, ambulance, and river rescue boat placed at the site. But as of Dec. 1, the fire truck, which requires a warm home to protect mechanical and plumbing components, had to be relocated to another station due to cold weather. The building lacks doors and therefore cannot be heated.

A combination of two full time fire/EMS workers plus part time employees and volunteers staff the building, but only about 50 percent of the time.

County Fire Chief Tommy Hicks said top priorities now are heating the building and installing the concrete apron at the bay entrances. A vendor is donating a portable heater that will enable staff to bring back the fire engine, he told the board.

The $21,500 total is being transferred to the fire department from the county’s capital fund balance.

In other matters Monday, the board extended the county’s business incentive program through June 30, 2011. Environmental, planning, and zoning fees are to be waived through the period, and building permit and inspection fees collected for commercial projects before the new expiration date are to be refunded if a certificate of occupancy is granted before June 30, 2012.

Also continuing and becoming permanent is an expedited plan and permit review process for commercial projects that includes a goal of responding to applicants within seven business days along with a business liaison program that assists businesses with county processes and policies.

“The program,” county economic development director Rodney Hathaway told the board, “has generated a lot of talk about New Kent that New Kent is a business friendly environment and will go out of its way to attract business.”

Also, the board voted 4-1 to amend county zoning law, dropping a requirement that all conditional use permits become operational within one year. The new law allows individual deadlines on a case-by-case basis that are tailored to fit circumstances of each application.

“The existing one year is very tough,” Hathaway told the board, pointing to current economic conditions and problems developers often face in securing financing.

The new policy applies only to the start of the CUP process, not the length of time a permit is allowed. District 1 Supervisor Thomas Evelyn cast the lone dissenting vote, fearing the amendment could “open a can of worms” if similar applications are afforded different deadlines.

Finally, the board adopted a policy manual for purchases under $50,000. The manual is designed to make the procurement procedure consistent among all county departments.

Single purchases $2,000 and less can be made through a card procedure outlined in the manual while those over $2,000 but less than $20,000 require three documented telephone quotes. The previous range was $2,000-$5,000.

Purchases above $20,000 but under $50,000 require four written bids at minimum, all approved by the county administrator. Those over $50,000 are governed by state law and require a formal bidding process ultimately approved by the board. Meanwhile, professional services, as defined by state law, do not require competitive negotiation if the contract is less than $30,000.