Fire station windows delay grand opening of expansion project

by PAUL MORTON

Associate editor

Oberlin fire chief Dennis Kirin might want to use that famous line from "Cool Hand Luke" to describe the reason for the delay in completing the expansion and renovation: "What we've got here is a failure to communicate."

Kirin said the delay was caused, in part, because the wrong windows were ordered. The problem was discovered late and new windows were ordered May 28.

"The contractor's original interpretation did not match the architect's intent," Kirin said. "It was an honest misinterpretation. But it put the project behind because those issues were not coming up on a timely basis."

He said the windows require about four to six weeks lead time, so they should be delivered some time early this month.

But it would be unfair to blame all the delay on the windows. Other factors had already pushed back the expected completion date.

"It was supposed to be done in March," Kirin said. "Now we're looking at late August to early October."

One of the biggest delays was the result of uncovering a hand-dug, brick-lined water well that was not shown on any map of the property. Workers had to seal the well, fill it, and pump the water out of the excavation before they could proceed with construction.

Finance director Sal Talarico said the delay will not cause any problems related to the financing of the fire station. He said council will likely approve a bond in late September, rolling together the fire station improvements, the bond for the public improvements associated with the tax increment financing agreement for the East College Street Development, and a new pumper truck for the fire department.

"I've spoken with Dennis, and we don't foresee any additional costs beyond what council approved (June 21)," Talarico said, referring to three change orders council approved for the contractor, the architect, and the engineering firm. "We'll estimate the final costs for the fire station, then we'll fine tune that amount as we get closer to the actual bond issue."

He said by rolling the three projects into one bond, the city will save on bond issuance fees. But he said it will be structured in such a way that the city is not paying interest on the fire truck for 20 years.

"Even though it will be one bond, it will have different maturities based on the purpose," Talarico said. "The fire station will have maturities of 20 years, the TIF will have 19-year maturities, because that's how long the TIF is for, and the fire truck will have maturities of five years."

The delay could prove worthwhile in the end when the U.S. Green Building Council finishes its tabulation of points for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.

"If everything comes to fruition, it should work out to LEED-Gold," Kirin said. "The architect submitted his design, and they came back to him with 28 of 28 possible design points. Now a lot of what I'm doing is collecting all the documentation on construction."

Some of the sustainable features of the building include solar panels on about 40 percent of the new roof. He said as currently configured the panels will provide about 10.8 kilowatts to the fire station.

"We're going to cover a lot of our daily usage," Kirin said. "And the way we have them laid out, we could upgrade to 23 to 24 kilowatts."

The station includes an advanced rainwater collection system that will store rainwater for non-potable uses within the station. The parking lot uses pervious asphalt, which will allow rainwater to seep down into the ground rather than running off into Evans Ditch behind the fire station.

Part of the roof not used for solar panels is a vegetative "green" roof that will reduce stormwater runoff and provide a measure of insulation. And an energy control system turns lights on and off through motion sensors, and can also be programmed for anticipated usage of specific areas, such as the basement conference room.

"The big highlight is the windows," Kirin said, stressing the importance of getting the proper windows. "When people first saw the models, they thought it was the crystal palace, or something. But walking through there in the day time, it's bright enough you don't need electric lights."

If all goes as anticipated, when completed it will be one of the first LEED certified fire stations in the state. Kirin said even in its uncompleted state it has aroused interest from other fire departments.

"I've had people ask for copies of our designs," Kirin said. "And I know some have contacted the architect."