Commissioners direct staff to refine fire-station prototypes, weigh costs and long-term maintenance

Marion County commissioners on Dec. 16 told staff to move ahead with design work for a high-occupancy fire-station prototype and to return with more detailed cost and maintenance estimates before making final material and roof-style choices.

Jared Gitsby, director of facilities, presented a range of design and cost options discussed at a Dec. 10 workshop. He told commissioners that pre-engineered metal building prototypes showed historical costs in a $4.1 million–$6.2 million range while hip-style masonry options were estimated at $4.6 million–$7.1 million depending on site and mechanical systems. "The range that was presented to us was almost a 45% swing…" Gitsby said, emphasizing the early-stage nature of the estimates.

Fire Chief James Banta urged the board to adopt modern health-and-safety standards, asking for individual bunk rooms and a hot/warm/cold zoning strategy intended to reduce carcinogen exposure, improve sleep quality, and support recruitment and retention. "The individual bunk rooms provide several benefits…reduction in disease spread…recruitment retention aspect," Chief Banta said.

Architect Barnett Chenault and representatives from Monarch Design Group described a "kit of parts" approach that would allow flexibility in construction methods while preserving a consistent floor plan; the board directed staff to use the high-occupancy footprint proposed for Marion Oaks as the starting prototype and to engage a construction manager (CM) to provide incrementally refined cost estimates during pre-design.

Commissioners stressed long-term value over lowest upfront cost, asking staff to include maintenance and mechanical-system estimates when comparing pre-engineered metal, CMU block and hybrid options. Staff will return with 30% and 60% cost checks, sample mechanical plans, and recommendations for which methods offer the best 40-year lifecycle value.