Reading is ready to break ground on a state-of-the-art fire station that will replace the city’s oldest fire station.
City Council voted Monday night to award the final construction contract for the project. Council voted 7-0 to award Myerstown-based Shannon A. Smith Inc. the HVAC contract for just over $1 million for the new Ninth and Marion Fire Station.
The new station will be built across the street from the current 134-year-old station in the city’s northeast.
Managing Director Abraham Amoros announced Monday night that the official groundbreaking ceremony would be Nov. 5 at 11 a.m.
Council awarded more than $7.7 million in contracts for construction of the new station last month, but no companies bid on the HVAC portion of the project and it needed to be rebid.
The following contracts were previously awarded for the project:
•West Reading-based Vision Mechanical was awarded the plumbing contract for $646,940.
•Cumru-based Hirneisen Electric was awarded the electrical contract for $1,048,000.
•Reading-based Perrotto Builders was awarded the general construction contract for $5,948,000.
• Carlisle-based Triangle Fire Protection was awarded the fire protection contract for $127,900.
The city previously hired three firms to oversee, plan and design the station for a total of $790,000.
That brings the total spent so far on the project to a little over $9.5 million.
The old Ninth and Marion station will be demolished to make way for a new playground. The current playground at Ninth and Marion streets will be removed to build the new station.
The playground the city will remove to build the new station was built with state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources money. Because it was built with state funds, the city will have to replace the playground, officials previously explained.
Officials looked at rehabilitating the old station, but the cost to remediate mold and asbestos and make the building ADA compliant would cost close to $4 million.
The Ninth and Marion fire station was built in 1887 and housed the city’s Marion and Hampden fire companies.
Councilman Stratton Marmarou has been advocating for a new station to replace the old fire station for the past 10 years.
