Diamond Beach fire substation possible with federal funds

Council approves use of land

Jun, 25-2009 12:58 pm

By CLAIRE LOWE
Staff Writer

DIAMOND BEACH— Lower Township Council approved, on the condition of lease verification, the dedication of land to the Erma Fire Company, covering Fire District 3, so they may apply for federal grant money to build a substation in Diamond Beach.
Jeff VanMourik represented the district when he approached council on June 15 requesting the dedication. He explained that the plans to build the substation have been on hold for about 10 years because funding hasn’t been available.
“We’ve been trying to do something with the firehouse over there for years,” he said.
The property, VanMourik said, is on the corner of Seaview and Rochester avenues in Diamond Beach, an area that has been difficult for the fire company to cover due to the weight limits on the Middle Thorofare Bridge.
“The Middle Thorofare Bridge has a weight limit, which is 15 tons. We only have one truck, currently, that is under 15 tons,” VanMourik said. That means that the trucks often have to detour through the Wildwoods to get to calls in Diamond Beach.
The substation would help to alleviate that problem.
VanMourik said the Fire Company is currently working on getting a truck that will be able to travel over that bridge. Part of the bid specifications may be to include an older truck as a “trade-in” for a discounted price on the new truck. However, if the federal grant funding comes through, VanMourik said that the Fire Company will most likely keep the older truck for use at the new substation.
The original plans for the substation developed about a decade ago, which included a large hall, will not be used, VanMourik said. While there are no set plans at the time for the outline of the substation, it will include office space and two bays for fire trucks.
“There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done,” VanMourik said.
The substation may also include space for the township’s police and EMS members. VanMourik said that so far, the police are on board, but he has yet to speak with the EMS team.
The federal grant is offered through the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA as part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. The total allocated funding for the Fire Station Construction Grant (SCG) Program is $210 million and the individual grants can be for 100 percent funding.
VanMourik said they may be looking for some funding to come from the local tax base. “We’re willing to put some money out, but I don’t know how much at this time,” he said.
He added that the federal government is expecting to receive about $3 billion worth of applications for the funding. VanMourik realizes that that doesn’t leave the township with very good odds.
“Our chances of getting something are slim to none, but we’re going to try anyway,” he said.
The fire district has been successful over the past eight years in receiving federal funding. Since 2001, VanMourik said it received $230,000 in grants for equipment and safety uses.
During the meeting, VanMourik was asked by council on whether the fire district planned on demolishing a playground located on the Diamond Beach property.
“Depending on the plans for the building and how it lays out on the property, we are willing to leave the playground for the kids,” he said.