By Emily Chesnic
Northfield Center Trustees are considering proposals for the construction of a safety building, after listening to two presentations on the project proposed for the site of the township’s current service yard, just off Olde Eight Road.
At a special meeting Feb. 22, the trustees heard ideas from Infinity Construction Co, of Warrensville Heights, and Regency Construction Services, Inc., of Brook Park, for the new facility, which will house fire, EMS and police operations, as well as the township’s administrative offices.
Earlier this month, the township received four proposals from design/build contractors concerning the construction project, with the trustees inviting Infinity and Regency to share more information about their previous work and plans for the township’s new structure.
Township officials have said the safety building would replace the deteriorating fire station, 60 W. Aurora Road, and Town Hall, 9546 Brandywine Road.
Infinity and Regency looked at the township’s preliminary sketch of the multi-purpose facility, created by criteria architect, Thrasher Group, of Canton, and made their own recommendations for how they would most affordably design the building while providing for optimal function.
Trustees have said they would like to spend about $1.25 million on the construction project, but the proposals received show it may cost more considering the work that has to be done on the site prior to construction and all that needs to be included in the facility, so it adequately serves all the departments.
Infinity Operations Director Jim Fantozzi said Infinity’s expertise is fire stations, recently managing the construction of the new fire station in the cities of Green and North Ridgeville, the Beachwood Fire Station, and the Avon Fire Station.
Eric Pros, of DS Architecture, of Cleveland, which would partner with Infinity on the project, said a “heavy amount” of work will need to take place, including soil testing and running utilities, before construction can take place.
Infinity proposes the safety building be about 11,065 square foot in size, which is a 500 square foot reduction from the building size shown in the original project sketch. Infinity officials said a smaller building will reduce cost without sacrificing usable space, allowing the building to function better.
Included in Infinity’s plans for the building will be areas for the fire station, township offices and police, as well as a kitchen, weight room, storage area, decontamination area, bay for fire vehicles, a transition space from the hot zone to the cold zone to keep firefighters safe from contaminants, a turnout gear room, dayroom, and privacy room with bunkbeds. The design shows natural lighting will flow into the metal building.
Before the shovel ever hits the ground, Infinity would charge the township $46,000 for the engineered schematic design phase of the project, which would take a month and a half to complete. The phase would include a survey of existing conditions on site, soil testing, a utility plan, floor plans, specifications, landscape design and team meetings, with the steps leading up to the determination of a final cost amount for the project.
Regency officials said it would be teaming up with Brandstettler Carroll, an architectural firm in Cleveland, and Sheeser Buckey Mayfield, an engineering firm in Uniontown, for the township’s project.
Recently, Regency managed the construction of the Olmstead Township Fire Station and a new central service complex in Lorain.
Regency also is proposing a metal building for the township’s project, with the building to be about 10,000 square foot or 11,880 square foot for an enhanced structure.
Regency would construct distinct areas for the township offices, police personnel and fire and EMS, as well as provide apparatus bays, including a high bay area and low bay area.
Regency revealed a price for the project, with it going to be about $2.7 million for the base plan and $2.9 million for the enhanced plan. Regency’s pre-construction fee, including the full design of the building, would be about $108,000.
After hearing from Infinity and Regency, the trustees agreed they have two strong options to select from soon. The trustees said they appreciated learning more about the two options, with construction on the project likely to begin later this year.
