Old fire station being razed

Regional Response Facility project on schedule for construction, completion in 2019

The original home of Mentor’s volunteer fire station No. 4 is coming down.

The metal building, behind the current station at 6900 Reynolds Road, is being demolished to make way for the Lake County Regional Response Facility. The foundation is failing and the structure is obsolete, officials say.

The city is doing the demolition in-house to provide training as well as cost savings.

“Our technical rescue team members are called to respond to collapse incidents that require their expertise,” said Ron Zak, deputy Urban Search and Rescue Team leader. “Having an opportunity to cut, lift and remove heavy concrete and steel is the ideal training to improve their skills.”

Another benefit is that much of the steel will be recycled and

The city administration had been working for several years on a plan for such a facility to be located in Mentor...

sold as scrap.

The city purchased about an acre from Lost Nation Airport for the approximately 13,000-squarefoot facility that will house, protect and deploy 20 specialized response units. Along with the Search and Rescue Team, the units will include SWAT, the regional Medical Incident Response Team, regional Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit, and the Nuclear Dive and Response Team.

Many of the units that will be housed there were purchased by the city during the past decade and are being stored throughout the community, some outdoors.

In addition, the facility is being designed to be aesthetically pleasing and

fit well within the community, Fire Chief Robert Searles said.

“Certainly, cost was a driving factor as we were laying out the building, and (we) remained focused on a functional and efficient design,” he said.

The proximity to highways and the airport helped determine the location.

“When we think of largescale events, we know they often require support from outside agencies, such as the National Guard or supplies from other private and government agencies.”

The cost is estimated at $3 million, $500,000 of which will come from a Capital Improvement Project Grant from the Ohio Department of Public Safety, awarded last year with support from State Rep. Ron Young, R-Leroy Township.

“The next step is to finalize the costs as accurately

as possible so that it can be presented for approval in the 2019 budget,” Searles said. “We continue to seek grants in addition to the $500,000. The hope is to go to bid in January of 2019, with construction starting soon after the bid is awarded so the project can be completed in 2019.”

Much work has already been done to prepare for construction. Along with forecasting future safety needs, city officials had to secure Federal Aviation Administration site approval, airport approval, and conduct wetland surveys and a historical evaluation of the existing structure.

The city administration had been working for several years on a plan for such a facility to be located in Mentor and not only house several specialty units, but also to provide “link access” to key transportation infrastructure.