OCEAN CITY — Resort officials this week got a first look at renewed plans to renovate the Ocean City Fire Department headquarters on 15th Street along with a proposed plan to relocate the existing fire station at 74th Street to the parking lot of the Public Safety Building on 65th Street.
Citing a variety of factors, including a change in the leadership of the Ocean City Volunteer Fire Company, the planned removal of the existing water tower at 15th Street and the proposed expansion of the 15th Street water plant, Ocean City officials earlier this year tabled any plans to renovate and expand the existing headquarters.
With many of those issues resolved, City Engineer Terry McGean along with Fire Chief Chris Larmore came back before the Mayor and Council on Tuesday to present a modified plan for the renovation of the 15th Street headquarters, along with an ambitious plan to relocate the 74th Street fire station to the parking lot of the Public Safety Building at 65th Street in the future.
“We took a step back and revisited some of these issues and did a lot of due diligence,” McGean told the council on Tuesday. “We met with the fire department, public works and everyone involved to review what was needed.”
McGean said after a thorough analysis of the treatment plant expansion and the water tower removal, along with meetings with the new OFVFC leadership, a new plan for the renovation of the headquarters at 15th Street has emerged. As a result, a planned addition on the west side of the headquarters building that would have enlarged one existing engine bay and create a gym and expanded space for firefighters has been eliminated.
The resulting savings from the elimination of the west addition will be redirected to renovate the existing engine bay including new overhead doors, paint and other repairs. The city has received grant funding for a direct connection exhaust removal system, which will be incorporated into the renovation. All other previously approved changes survived the cut, including a new bunk room HVAC system, new roof, new exterior and an addition on the south side of the building.
Satisfied with the proposed changes to the 15th Street headquarters renovations, attention was turned to a parallel plan to move the existing fire station at 74th Street to the parking lot of the Public Safety Building on 65th Street. McGean explained the 74th Street fire station had outlived its usefulness.
“We need to expand the station and the problem with the 74th Street location is we don’t have the property to do it,” he said. “We do have plenty of space at 65th Street so we can put the new station in the Public Safety Building parking lot. We think we’ll be able to fund the new station with proceeds from the sale of the old station property.”
McGean said the parallel plan to expand the existing headquarters at 15th Street and build a new station at 65th Street would accomplish the dual goals of providing for the future growth of the town’s fire department. The initial plans show a new fire station at 65th Street on the south end of the Public Safety Building parking lot although included on the drawing is a potential future expansion of the station immediately to the north.
“In the long term, we would have space for expansion of both facilities,” he said. “We could add engine bays and living space as needed as we grow.”
There is a certain logic to moving the 74th Street station to 65th Street. The Public Safety Building is home to, among other things the police department and the emergency services department. In addition, the entire 65th Street complex also houses the Public Works Department with its vast garages and warehouse areas. “They had the foresight back in 1980 or whenever that was to purchase the old Playland property and put a lot our resources in the center of town,” said Councilman Dennis Dare. “Fifty percent of the dwellings in Ocean City are north of 90th Street. Terry came up with some great ideas and the chief did a good job of working with the volunteers to come up with this plan.”
Larmore told the council the proposed station relocation would allow the department to reallocate some of its resources to the geographic center of the town. The chief said there was some reluctance from the volunteers about moving around manpower and equipment, but the new OCVFC was now embracing the proposed changes.
“We could relocate some of the equipment from headquarters to the new midtown station at 65th Street,” he said. “The volunteers are now more receptive to moving assets up north.”
Larmore said the concept of a midtown fire station at 65th Street was not an entirely new one.
“There was a study done in 2000 on station relocation,” he said. “That was 15 years ago, but it is almost identical to what we’re proposing here today. What we’re planning now was forecasted 15 years ago.”
There is a vast amount of space in the parking lot of the Public Safety Building to accommodate a new fire station without impacting the parking for the various facilities including the District Court building. However, a question was raised about the impact on the existing parking lease agreement with the Skye Bar and related commercial businesses across the street. Those possible impacts will be explored as the project moves closer to reality.
“Our first obligation is to public safety and our citizens, not for parking for a neighborhood bar,” said Dare.
