Construction on New Fire Headquarters Moves Forward

Work continues to progress nicely on the construction of the new Fire Headquarters at the corner of Bald Eagle Drive and San Marco Road. The construction is proceeding at the same time, and at the same intersection, as storm water drainage improvements. 

Since the early ‘90s when the present-day structure was built, numerous changes have been made to the Florida Building Codes and construction standards for more hurricane-resilient buildings. FEMA has also adopted new flood zone standards. The present building fails to meet those standards and would not have been eligible for any FEMA (or other) funding.

The City of Marco Island reviewed the last ten years of Station 50’s structural problems, due to environmental concerns as well as space constraints since its construction over 30 years ago. Hurricane Irma reinforced staff’s resolve to move forward when the storm surge created by the Category 3 Hurricane caused serious flooding issues on the island. Some of the flooding seriously affected Station 50, its equipment and personnel.

Coinciding with the planning for the new Station 50 Headquarters, the city purchased the Medical Arts Building located at 1310 San Marco Road, which sits adjacent to the city campus. The purchase of the building maintains the station’s strategic geographic location, enables storage of apparatus, and will house suppression personnel and administrative staff during the 12 to 18 month estimated construction time. 

The city deviated from its usual “design-build” method for this project and is utilizing a Construction Manager At Risk (CMAR). The method that was typically used by the city for construction projects was the process of design, bid and build management. The CMAR process involves the Construction Manager guaranteeing that the project does not exceed the Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) after the city has accepted their bid. Any overages would be the responsibility of the CMAR. The CMAR method was similarly used with the project at Veterans Community Park.

Work continues along the timeline estimated by both city staff and the contractor, Manhattan Construction from Fort Myers. To date, there have been no major interruptions in the progress of the building, but city leadership is still asking the public for patience, as well as caution, due to the minor interruptions caused by the construction at that major intersection.