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Longwood commission approves $70,009.98 design contract step and pivots from FEMA grant plan for Shire Station 15
Summary
Commissioners approved a $70,009.98 purchase order to Wanamaker Jensen Architects to value‑engineer Shire Station 15 and endorsed staff’s recommendation to move away from the restrictive FEMA hazard‑mitigation grant path after cost escalation, allowing more flexibility to start construction earlier.
The Longwood City Commission on April 20 approved a $70,009.98 purchase order to Wanamaker Jensen Architects for value engineering and redesign work on Fire Station 15 (referred to in staff materials as Shire Station 15), and agreed with staff to pursue a redesign path outside the city’s existing FEMA hazard‑mitigation grant.
Chris Kinner, community development director, told the commission the original project estimate years ago was about $4.5 million but had grown to roughly $11.9 million. Kinner said FEMA and third‑party reviews imposed design constraints and extended review times that contributed to delays and cost increases.
“One of the questions the city manager asked was, what if we go away from that?” Kinner said, describing options the city examined that would save roughly $1.7 million on redesign and an additional $1.27 million by reducing administration build‑out — options not allowable under the current grant.
Why it matters: staff said moving off the grant path would provide flexibility to start construction sooner, avoid long FEMA review cycles and keep the city in control of design choices. Commissioners supported the approach, noting uncertainty about whether federal grant funds would remain available.
Commissioner Morgan summarized the tradeoffs: the grant pathway could require the city to meet rigid safe‑room specifications and potentially increase the city’s ultimate costs, whereas spending about $71,000 for value engineering could reduce longer‑term project costs by an estimated $1.7 million.
The commission voted unanimously to approve the purchase order and the staff‑recommended path forward.
Next steps: staff will continue design work with Wanamaker Jensen and coordinate any necessary procurement, budget adjustments and timeline updates. The commission’s vote authorizes the expenditure and signals acceptance of a redesign strategy aimed at starting the project sooner and containing costs.
The meeting record shows the measure passed by a 5–0 vote.
