Fire grant may bring regional training facility to New Kent

Summer weather brings dry ground and potential for fires in homes and forests. Now, New Kent fire chief Rick Opett’s proposal of a training facility may benefit the county and surrounding areas.

Opett appeared before supervisors June 26 and received approval to apply for a Virginia Department of Fire Programs Burn Building Grant. The grant would provide funding for construction, labor, and design of a burn building that is used to train firefighter candidates.

Opett’s presentation included marking possible areas for the location of the building. One of those recommended areas is located on Polish Town road, on land near Henrico Jail East. The 22-acre site would have 12-15 acres designated for exercises and allow interested parties to navigate there.

“That location will provide easy access to us and other localities including James City, Charles City, King & Queen, King William, and West Point,” the chief said. “This building will provide training to firefighter one and two candidates and give them experience with live fire training.”

Opett said he’s been in contact with the other jurisdictions to gauge their interest. With the closest current burn buildings located at Richmond International Airport and Gloucester, he believes having an ideal location will be beneficial for the county and generate revenue.

Opett projects the total cost of the project to come in at $1.6 million. Of that amount, the grant would provide $430,000 and funds from other jurisdictions would be close to $750,000. New Kent’s contribution would be $414,000, but would not be an impact on the fiscal budget until 2015 at the earliest. Opett also added that donations for the site may become a factor and that potential savings could be as much as $725,000.

While supervisors approved Opett’s grant request, a major hurdle in the construction of the burn building if the grant is provided consists of the proposed location. While the land is located in New Kent, part of the parcel is owned by Henrico County. Supervisors recommended to Opett and county administrator Rodney Hathaway to open discussions with Henrico County in an effort to negotiate use of the land if the project proceeds forward.