Marion County panel backs design work for Marion Oaks station amid debate over roofs and HVAC

Marion County commissioners on Tuesday moved to begin design work on the Marion Oaks high‑occupancy fire station after reviewing three prototype station designs and extensive tradeoffs over roofing and HVAC systems.

The county’s fire chief presented three prototypes — a small rural model (about 9,900 square feet), a medium model (about 11,000 sq. ft.) and a larger high‑capacity model (roughly 13,000 sq. ft.) — that separate apparatus bays from living areas with hot/warm/cold decontamination zones “to move through the station in a manner that doesn't spread carcinogens,” the chief said.

Why it matters: the prototypes are meant to standardize future builds across Marion County, reduce long‑term health risks to firefighters and speed procurement and construction. Commissioners pressed staff for durability, operating cost and community fit details before committing to a standard.

Architects from Monarch Design Group and consulting engineers outlined three exterior options — a pre‑engineered metal shed/low‑slope roof, a flat/low‑slope option and a traditional hip roof — and highlighted tradeoffs between lifecycle, maintenance and curb appeal. “From a rough order of magnitude, anywhere between $500,000 and $1,000,000 more for the entire building” was the estimate given for a hip roof in the early concept stage, an architect said.

Commissioners also questioned interior choices such as glass in bay doors and window placement. The design team argued that glazed sections give drivers and crews safer sightlines and that polycarbonate inserts can provide daylight and impact resistance at lower cost.

HVAC was a major point of contention. Staff said moving from open dormitories to individual bunk rooms with variable‑air‑volume (VAV) zoning or wall‑mounted units increases initial cost and maintenance. “We did the cost estimate. It was about $120,000 more to go from open quarters to individual bunks just on the design electrical components, door hardware,” a project staffer said. Commissioners expressed concern that individual wall units or PTAC/mini‑split solutions can be more failure‑prone in high‑humidity climates and would create more maintenance burden for facilities staff. Architects responded that VAV zoning is an industry standard for firehouses and can be designed with redundancy and reduced VAV counts to limit failure points.

What the board decided: commissioners agreed the Marion Oaks high‑occupancy station is the next pressing project and directed staff to proceed with design while bringing back more detailed MEP options, cost breakdowns and additional renderings of the preferred options. No formal budget appropriation or final design approval was recorded; staff said a follow‑up discussion would be scheduled (the board set a return item for the June 16 meeting if consensus could not be reached beforehand).

The presentation included input from a contractor who urged careful attention to insulation and maintenance plans for low‑slope roofs, noting many flat roofs fail without scheduled inspection. The architects emphasized that quality of installation and ongoing maintenance are critical to achieve longer roof lifespans.

The county also heard brief public input from a resident who commended the staff’s approach and recommended further evaluation of alternatives.

Next steps: staff will refine HVAC options (evaluating VAV zoning, reduced VAV counts, and individual unit tradeoffs), provide additional renderings and life‑cycle cost estimates, and continue design work on the Marion Oaks station so the project can proceed to procurement once the board approves funding.