After years of more starts and stops than any project could reasonably withstand, the Dorothea Fire Station is on track to become more than a myth.
Assistant Fire Service Director Daryl George hiked over the site Monday afternoon, clearly pleased at the progress since new work began March 17. He says the station should be finished within nine months.
George conducted a mini-tour of the property, which he knows intimately, having seen it though years of headaches—openings and closings, storm damage, and threats of a lawsuit by disgruntled North Side residents.
The long-awaited project began 15 years ago as a self-help endeavor by Fire Service personnel, George said, but the project was thwarted by Hurricane Marilyn.
The most recent work on the new facility stopped shortly after it started last May when George said engineering issues were discovered, which would require the entire structure to be rebuilt.
"We found that the footing and the steel reinforcing under the old structure weren’t strong enough to hold," George said. "We made the determination that we needed to rebuild the entire structure from the ground up, with new engineering and architectural plans."
With a wide sweep of his arms over the property, studded with remains of the old 1995 structure, now covered with mounds of dirt from the current excavating, George said, "This will all be leveled."
Toward the north, George indicated the area for the new parking lot. With a quick turn, George pointed to the west. "And that’s where our 55,000 gallon cistern will be."
Even the small wooden West Indian building, which has housed Echo Company for years, will go—along with its neighboring mango tree. With a smile, George said, "They have to go, but we’ll build a little park right there."
The new facility will have two and a half bays for the fire trucks and be staffed with 10 fire officers, with separate quarters for male and female officers. It will have a day room, a laundry room and a state-of-the-art kitchen and dining room. There will be a parking area in the back.
Beyond that, the building will house a substation for police and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and have a large conference room.
The new building is being financed through funds left over from the old project—George said only $80,000 was spent from the $877,000 from that—and about $1.4 million from government-issued bonds.
Since the work halted last year, George said, "We’ve been waiting for new plans to be drawn up. You go through new processes, new drawings, a bunch of things we didn’t have to change, like parts of the wall."
The work is still being done by Brian Chick Construction Service (BCCS), a local firm that started the project last year.
George is clearly delighted with their progress so far. Walking to what will be the new parking lot at the end of the property, he signaled the work on that. "Just look what they’ve already done. This will be finished in nine months, as scheduled."
However, his long experience drew another consideration. With a knowing smile, he said, "That’s if we have no storms."
The station has had problems ranging from rat infestations to personnel shortages — to say nothing of repairing the extensive damage wrought by Marilyn in 1995.
In June 2002 after having been closed for three and a half years, the station reopened, having undergone extensive renovations. However, within a year, it closed again. At the time, Fire Service officials said the action was taken after several firefighters retired and five others in the V.I. National Guard were called to active duty in Iraq.
In a 2007 town meeting with the Northside Civic Association, Gov. John deJongh Jr. assured residents that rebuilding the fire station was one of his top capital projects to be completed within his term.
That project is the one that started last May and is now back on its feet again.
V.I. Fire Service is essential to the safety of North Side residents. The Fire Service has estimated it would take fire trucks 35 minutes to get from the downtown station to a North Side fire.
The Dorothea facility is the only fire station on the North Side.
In a statement issued last month, Fire Service Director Victor Browne stressed to North Side residents and the general public that adequate fire emergency coverage will remain in force during the construction.
He said residents and business owners can contact the Bordeaux/Fortuna Fire Station at 776-2421 or 911 for any and all fire emergencies.
