SMOKEY POINT Carletti Architects of Mount Vernon have been awarded the architectural contract for the planned fire station in Smokey Point.
City of Arlington Capital Projects Manager Paul Ellis explained that eight architectural firms responded to the citys ads, and were narrowed down to four based on their familiarity with the area and their experience with fire stations.
They were all very good, but Carletti rose to the top, Ellis said. They had a wide spectrum of design ideas, and theyve worked on projects ranging from cost-effective on fixed budgets to gorgeously elaborate facilities. They had a broader potential.
The new fire station will occupy a single story and 15,000 square feet of land. Ellis specified that four double apparatus bays will be installed in the building, to accommodate future increases in equipment.
A double apparatus bay means that a vehicle can enter one end and exit the other, so well start with enough for four fire units, Ellis said. As we grow, one vehicle can be housed in each end.
Plans for the fire station also include a multipurpose room and a 1,000-square-foot area for training and public meetings. Ellis expects the fire station will be open for business by fall of 2009, with most of 2008 set aside for design work and drawing up financial and construction documents.
We should be able to get this out to bid to a construction contractor by late 2008, Ellis said. Out contract with Carletti is not to exceed $30,000, but well also be spending around $10,000 on geotechnical soil and structural surveys to determine what sort of foundations well need.
Ellis declined to guess what the eventual construction contract might cost, but cited the citys most recent capital project as a success story that theyll continue to emulate.
What I can promise is that well approach this the same way we did Olympic Avenue, Ellis said.