Finance committee OKs engineering work to redesign concrete slab at Fire Station 1

The Homewood City Finance Committee on June 2 approved an engineering contract to design repairs for the concrete slab where fire trucks enter and exit Fire Station 1.

Chief Brandon Broadhead presented the item and told the committee the slab outside the station has buckled and settled in multiple places; he said the work will begin with geotechnical borings to determine subsurface conditions and then a slab design. City staff said the borings and design work will be completed this summer and repair construction would be budgeted for next year.

The committee voted to authorize the manager to execute the design contract; the motion passed 3-0.

City staff described the slab as the apron out in front of the bay doors, not the building foundation. Broadhead and city staff said the immediate objective is to identify soil conditions and a design solution so the city can estimate repair costs and include them in next year’s capital budget.

There was one inconsistency in figures discussed during the meeting: in the initial presentation staff said geotechnical borings would cost $77,400 and the slab design $5,000; later in discussion a speaker referenced $7,400 for geotechnical work and $5,000 for the structural assessment (a combined figure of $12,400). The committee did not change or clarify the amounts at the meeting; city staff must confirm the correct contract amounts before work begins.

Next steps: staff will finalize the scope and contract language with MBA Engineers, complete borings and design work this summer, and return with repair cost estimates for inclusion in the FY2026 budget process.