Deltona set to build new fire station

BEACON PHOTO/AL EVERSON
Digging up the dirt — Wielding ceremonial gold shovels, civic officials symbolize the start of the development of Howland Crossings. From left to right are Deltona Fire Chief Robert Staples, Commissioner Janet Deyette, Commissioner Paul Treusch, Commissioner Michele McFall-Conte, Mayor Dennis Mulder, County Council Member Pat Northey, State Rep. Sandy Adams, and Commissioner Herb Zischkau.

BEACON PHOTO/AL EVERSON
Building for the future — Deltona Mayor Dennis Mulder listens as Fire Chief Robert Staples describes Fire Station 65, to be built at 2983 Howland Blvd. The new $2.7 million fire station will improve response times in emergencies on the city's north side, Staples promised. The facility is part of a public/private development known as Howland Crossings, which is supposed to become a sort of downtown for Deltona.

By Al Everson
BEACON STAFF WRITER

posted Jun 16, 2009 - 11:08:13am

Sprawled-out Deltona is about to improve its fire protection and emergency-medical services on the city's north side.

Civic leaders gathered June 12 on a vacant parcel along Howland Boulevard north of Catalina Boulevard for the groundbreaking of Fire Station 65.

"We've had Station 65 on our radar for four or five years," said Deltona Fire Chief Robert Staples. "Putting the station here will easily cut four or five minutes off the response time of the far-reaching areas."

The new fire station will not only be Deltona's fourth fire station, but it will also be the first phase of a public/private venture that is supposed to create a sort of downtown for the mostly residential area that incorporated at the end of 1995.

"The end game for us has been to bring economic development," said Mayor Dennis Mulder. "We'll have the opportunity to plan this area in a sustainable way."

Fire Station 65 will cost about $2.7 million, according to Staples. The facility will enclose about 12,500 square feet, including the bay areas, and it "will be built for future expansion."

"We're hoping we'll have it put to bid next month," he said, adding construction may begin by Oct. 1.

The fire station is supposed to be completed next summer, Staples said.

Fire Station 65 will be the first part of Howland Crossings, a shopping area and public-safety complex to be developed by the Cavallaro Group Inc., a Winter Park firm. The City Commission last summer bought 19 acres for the project. In a controversial move, the commission voted 4-3 to pay almost $7.6 million for the raw land, even though the city had already bought an 18 acre site nearby at a cost of $2.5 million in late 2007.

Besides a new fire station, the public-safety complex will include a law-enforcement headquarters and emergency-management facilities. The buildings of Howland Crossings are also to be built according to "green" standards, emphasizing energy and water conservation, as well as the use of recycled materials.

The Cavallaro Group will build the roadways and install infrastructure such as water and sewer lines for Howland Crossings at its cost.

For more than a quarter of a century, Deltona has had the reputation of being a bedroom community for Orlando, and a haven of more affordable housing for Orlando-area workers priced out of homes in Orange or Seminole County. City officials and planners have spoken of Deltona as "underserved" in terms of retail businesses, meaning the city's 86,000-plus residents have relatively few places to shop for the necessities and amenities of life, when compared to neighboring cities. In addition, the lack of shopping in Deltona means the city's coffers do not receive sales-tax revenues shared by the state government.

— al@beacononlinenews.com

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