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Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesREPAIRS TO ST. CROIX FIRE STATIONS BEGIN

REPAIRS TO ST. CROIX FIRE STATIONS BEGIN

Repairs to St. Croix’s four fire stations, with one closed since August, are under way, according to Fire Service Director Pedro Encarnacion.
The Cotton Valley station on St. Croix’s east end has been closed since late summer because of deteriorating conditions and a lack of funding. On Wednesday, Encarnacion said a $150,000 bid had been awarded to a contractor to repair the station. He did not say when the work would be completed.
Bids to repair other stations have also been awarded, including:
– A $165,000 contract to repair the Richmond station. Work is expected to begin on Monday and be finished in February.
– A $193,000 contract for the Emile Henderson Sr. Station in Frederiksted. Work is scheduled to begin Dec. 1.
– A $91,000 contract to repair the Charles A. Seales Station in Grove Place. Work is set to begin Monday.
"We are very pleased that the new year will witness the firehouses in the territory in much improved physical condition to satisfy the needs of our hardworking firefighters," Encarnacion said.
A "considerable amount" of new equipment is expected as well, he added. When it arrives, said Encarnacion, "the Fire Service will be in the best operational condition it has been in for some time."
For residents of the east end, repairs to the Cotton Valley station can’t come soon enough. With the station closed, emergencies to the east are answered from the Richmond station west of Christiansted town – a 30-minute response time for some residents.
In addition to problems with the fire stations themselves, staffing and funding have been challenges. At least 18 St. Croix firefighters retired over the past year, and overtime budgeted for fiscal year 2000 was used up by July.
The government will pay for the repairs with $1.5 million in asset recovery funds and another $500,000 from the general fund, Encarnacion said. He added that bids have been advertised for work on fire stations in the St. Thomas-St. John district.

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