New fire truck arrives, station opening planned

The Havelock Fire and Rescue Department took two big steps into the future with the arrival of a new ladder truck on Tuesday morning and the announcement of a dedication date for the new West End Fire Station.

The $688,000 E-ONE quint ladder truck will be kept temporarily at the fire station off Cunningham Boulevard until the new station is turned over to the city by the builder, Norstate Contracting, of Greenville.

City Manager Jim Freeman said a temporary turnover arrangement with the contractor allowed city officials and commissioners to tour the new facility and to conduct a retreat there Monday morning.

Freeman said that a coating on the floor of the station bays will have to cure for about two more weeks before trucks could be stored there. He said that a minor punch list between the city and the contractor was being worked out but that the station was for the most part finished.

Freeman anticipated that the fire department would begin moving into the new facility prior to a dedication to be held at 10 a.m. April 7. An open house for the public will be held at the new station from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 10.

The quint ladder truck, which is an extremely tight fit for the old station, will have plenty of room in the new three-bay station, located on U.S. 70 at the entrance to Tucker Creek.

"The original station that we used in the ’70s and ’80s would fit inside this bay," Commissioner Jim Stuart said as he walked around the new station on Monday. "We’ve come a long way baby."

The station cost $2.4 million to construct and is about one month late. The expectation last year was to have it completed by February. The city spent $750,000 to purchase 4.5 acres next to Wells Wayside Furniture for the new station. Another unexpected cost to the city was about $30,000 for the rerouting of a portion of the service road into a so-called "jug handle" mandated by the N.C. Department of Transportation.

Havelock benefited by a competitive bidding climate and got the station built for less than originally anticipated.

"Because of the economy, we probably saved 20 or 30 percent on the cost of this facility," said Dave Harvell, assistant city manager.

The cost of the station is being funded through a 30-year, $3.1 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The 11,790 square-foot fire station has sleeping quarters for 18 firefighters, a kitchen, dining room, training room, exercise room, four offices and three apparatus bays.

Chief Rick Zaccardelli said that six full-time personnel and a handful of volunteers will man the station.

In addition to the quint fire truck, two of the city’s ambulances will be housed at the facility.

The city spent an additional $45,000 for a 200 kilowatt generator capable of powering the station for five to seven days in the case of power loss.

Included in the facility is an information technology backup capable of supplying the needs of the entire system in case it goes down at Havelock City Hall. City police and fire dispatch can also be temporarily operated out of the station.