By Richard Rainey
The Times-Picayune
METAIRIE, La. — After spending three hurricane seasons crammed into trailers with hastily assembled carports for engine bays, crews for two Metairie fire stations soon could be working within brick-and-mortar structures.
Builders are just days away from opening Fire Station 14, a $2.5 million facility on Edinburgh Street in the South Beverly Knoll subdivision. Fire Station 16, a $2.66 million facility at Kent Avenue and Lafreniere Street, has a few months of work left, said Bert Smith, Jefferson Parish’s deputy chief administrator.
But the quest to build a massive central command center in Elmwood, a replacement for Fire Station 19, has been all but washed out after several delays and strong criticism from the local firefighters union.
The East Bank Consolidated Fire Department has been without two permanent facilities since Hurricane Katrina flooded Stations 14 and 16 in 2005. Having the new buildings will increase firefighting crews’ response times and help to ensure that the department keeps its Class 1 fire insurance rating, union President Bob Burkett said.
“Certainly we look forward to having these projects completed, especially since we’re sitting in the beginning of hurricane season,” he said.
Smith, who oversees the Fire Department for Parish President Aaron Broussard’s administration, said firefighters can still reach all spots within the department’s coverage area from the temporary shelters. The permanent stations will only enhance the department’s abilities, he said.
Numerous delays pushed back the completion of the two stations more than a full year.
“It’s not any one particular thing but little things here and there,” Smith said, adding that Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in September sidelined construction even longer.
In Station 14, problems arose with items such as a new stainless-steel kitchen sink and the overhead motors that open the bay doors, he said. Station 16 saw setbacks related to unanticipated concrete beneath the asphalt and the need for more filling material before the concrete slab could be set.
MDI Construction of New Orleans is doing the work, Smith said. Parish officials are still haggling over cost increases related to the setbacks, he said, so it remains unclear how far the projects will come in over their budgets.
Work on Station 19 on Edwards Avenue has been suspended while officials examine the efficacy of the project, Smith said. Anthony Gendusa, the architect hired to design the new building, had gotten through only preliminary steps, Smith said.
During negotiations between Broussard’s administration and the union last year, union officials sharply criticized administrators for promoting the building of a brand new facility. Instead, firefighters suggested that the parish revamp an abandoned building nearby to save taxpayers millions.
Nonetheless, ending the trailer era is a promising change for longtime firefighters, Burkett said.
“It gets us back to normal,” he said.
Copyright 2009 The Times-Picayune Publishing Company