One last rescue attempt for old Jacksonville firehouse

[thelakelander]

City doesn't have money to move 105-year-old building

By Bridget MurphyStory updated at 6:35 PM on Thursday, Mar. 18, 2010

If the yellow brick building was an 105-year-old terminal patient, you could say its next-of-kin were debating a do-not-resuscitate order.

Nineteen months after Jacksonville firefighters answered their last alarm from 347 Riverside Ave., their old home is a shell of its former self.

Black graffiti stains a wall of the more than century-old Fire Station 5. Wood planks cover many windows and dead plant limbs cascade from one on the second story like an umbrella of doom.

So far the building has dodged a date with a wrecking ball, although it appears a month-long reprieve is all that remains. City Councilman Warren Jones said he’s working with a commercial developer on a plan that’s turned into one last rescue attempt for the old firehouse.

Firefighters moved to a new state-of-the-art Station 5 on Forest Street in August 2008. As part of a land swap, Fidelity got the land the old station stands on and the company paid for a small city park on the riverfront behind the property. In December, Fidelity told the city it planned to demolish the structure.

Under a 2005 agreement, that gave the city three months to come up with a plan to relocate the building.

Mayoral spokeswoman Misty Skipper said Wednesday the city hasn’t found money to the move the building or a place to relocate it. But she said the city will wait until mid-April to give its final answer to Fidelity about the station’s fate after Jones asked for time to work with the developer on a possible save.

Jones and Jacksonville Historical Society President Jerry Spinks identified the developer as John Stokes, who has a Fernandina Beach design and construction company that builds churches. Stokes didn’t respond to several phone calls.

While the city put the cost of moving the station at $600,000, Spinks said Stokes found a company to do it for about $300,000.

Another problem is location. Because of its size, the station wouldn’t fit under the highway bridges in the Riverside area and would have to stay in the Brooklyn section.

Jones said there is available land, but the property value is expected to rocket when the state Department of Transportation finishes construction work on nearby Interstate 95 and I-10.

Spinks said Stokes’ plan would be to house his headquarters in the old station. The historic preservationist said Stokes’ company would do the site work, make building improvements and contribute to the cost of buying land next to city-owned parcels.

Spinks also said the developer hopes to qualify for preferred status on federal bidding projects under a Small Business Administration program that would require him to hire people living in areas that include Brooklyn.

If the plan works, he said it could create jobs for Jacksonville residents. And a building that hosted generation after generation of emergency responders would get a lifeline.

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-03-18/story/one_last_rescue_attempt_for_old_jacksonville_firehouse

[stjr]

Mayoral spokeswoman Misty Skipper said Wednesday the city hasn’t found money to the move the building or a place to relocate it....

While the city put the cost of moving the station at $600,000, Spinks said Stokes found a company to do it for about $300,000.

I would rather see them use the $400K increment money they "found" for the RAM dock for this once-in-a-lifetime project to save this building and spur area redevelopment than for a dock no one thought about much until the past year and that can always be built later.  RAP needs to prioritize this project for those funds and deal with the dock another time.

Funny, how the City says they can't find the money after 3 years for this historic structure but whatever City money is needed for a dock or a new road ($4 to 6 million), benefiting mainly an urban sprawl developer's shopping center project always appears by magic from some mystery fund.

[fsu813]

While the city put the cost of moving the station at $600,000, Spinks said Stokes found a company to do it for about $300,000.

Why doesn't that surprise me?

the plan does sound great though *crossing fingers*

[Ocklawaha]

HOW TO SAVE A FIREHOUSE AND COME OUT LIKE A ROSE??


EQUATION of the Year??

1. Put some talent on this project, (IE: get Ennis to draw this up)

2. Move the fire station ACROSS Riverside Avenue, North of Blue Cross.

3. Extend the Skyway to the old firehouse.

4. Build Streetcar and Bus Lanes at the Firehouse lot.

5. Wrap the whole thing up as a historical station, urban break room, with fountain, landscaping, and intermodal convenience.

6. Bring in the volunteers to add all of the finishing touches, museum pieces, displays, welcome center, gift shop, snack stand...etc...

RESULT??

JTA and the COJ become everyones hero's and save the day.
Citizens get a fantastic new way to get onboard transit.
All generations get to keep a piece of history for learning and enlightenment.


OCKLAWAHA

[Miss Fixit]

Mayoral spokeswoman Misty Skipper said Wednesday the city hasn’t found money to the move the building or a place to relocate it....

While the city put the cost of moving the station at $600,000, Spinks said Stokes found a company to do it for about $300,000.

I would rather see them use the $400K increment money they "found" for the RAM dock for this once-in-a-lifetime project to save this building and spur area redevelopment than for a dock no one thought about much until the past year and that can always be built later.  RAP needs to prioritize this project for those funds and deal with the dock another time.

Funny, how the City says they can't find the money after 3 years for this historic structure but whatever City money is needed for a dock or a new road ($4 to 6 million), benefiting mainly an urban sprawl developer's shopping center project always appears by magic from some mystery fund.

Yes, yes, yes.  The dock can be constructed at any time in the future - the window of opportunity to save this fire station is about to close.

[thelakelander]

Mayoral spokeswoman Misty Skipper said Wednesday the city hasn’t found money to the move the building or a place to relocate it....

While the city put the cost of moving the station at $600,000, Spinks said Stokes found a company to do it for about $300,000.

I would rather see them use the $400K increment money they "found" for the RAM dock for this once-in-a-lifetime project to save this building and spur area redevelopment than for a dock no one thought about much until the past year and that can always be built later.  RAP needs to prioritize this project for those funds and deal with the dock another time.

I made a post about this in that dock thread yesterday.  While I'm a fan of building the dock, I question if it is the best use of the money.  Considering the circumstances, addressing the fire station would be a greater benefit.  In conjunction with the 200 Riverside project and park, you could really spruce up that section of Brooklyn.

Funny, how the City says they can't find the money after 3 years for this historic structure but whatever City money is needed for a dock or a new road ($4 to 6 million), benefiting mainly an urban sprawl developer's shopping center project always appears by magic from some mystery fund.

Its all about priorities.  If the will is there, the money will be found.

[Miss Fixit]

Perhaps an email campaign to mayor's office and city council is in order?

[thelakelander]

Didn't the council already pass the plan to spend the $400k on the dock?  Or is it still up for discussion?

[stjr]

I thought that was a committee vote, 4 to 3.  Passes from there, I suppose, to the full council, but when?  Someone needs to get to Warren Jones to find out how to save this.

[fsu813]

Perhaps an email campaign to mayor's office and city council is in order?

if you lead the way, i think that's possible.......

even though it's just outside of RAP's boundaries, i would think they'd be lobbying for it as well. or perhaps they have enough on thier plate.

[lindab]

The email campaign is a good idea. Someone needs to "show the love" for this building. Get the firefighters in on it. Somewhere was the idea of a firefighters museum featuring the city's 1901 fire history. Let's push for it.

[ChriswUfGator]

I was the biggest supporter of the dock in the other thread, but if the funds for that are sufficient to move the fire station to a safe location, then by all means I'm in favor of re-allocating it to save the building. The only thing I'm not in favor of is taking $400k raised by a special assessment and then letting it disappear into the black hole of COJ's budget deficit.

But by all means, if the funds are sufficient to move the firehouse, then first and foremost that should be done. It's the only original structure still standing on Riverside Avenue. Real piece of history will lost there.

[Miss Fixit]

Perhaps someone more tech savvy than I could upload all of the city council and mayor's office email addresses?  I have the list and could forward it.

[Shwaz]

Sounds like a pretty sweet deal for Stokes. The city gives them a historic building, pays for it to be moved and all they have to do is contribute towards the purchase of new land and make structural improvements... A new headquarters on the back of the tax payers moved to bargain priced land that's projected to skyrocket in value. Nice.

[Overstreet]

.......... Somewhere was the idea of a firefighters museum featuring the city's 1901 fire history. .........

Don't we already have one over by the Metro Park?

Why not put it on a barge and take it somewhere other than the high dollar property. You'd have to jump the river walk but there is $300k budget savings to do that with. But then again why is the city doing this anyway?  They save light houses, but it is usually private foundations that do it.