Board, Mickuleit start termination process due to construction delays at Fire Station #4
The Matlacha / Pine Island Fire Control District commissioners held a special board meeting last week. The purpose of the meeting was to review the status of the construction of Station #4 in Matlacha.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Oct. 19, 2018, and the station was contractually scheduled to be completed by May 13, 2019. Now, four months after the deadline, the station has yet to receive a certificate of occupancy.
The M/PIFCD Board accepted the recommendation from Chief Ben Mickuleit to “start the process of termination” of Vantage Construction Service, and company president Trent Swartz, for failure to complete the construction of Station #4 (Matlacha) by the deadline.
According to department attorney Bob Pritt, the board authorized the chief to issue a “notice of termination.” Once the notice is drawn up and delivered, the contractor has a period of time and an opportunity to make major progress. If he does make satisfactory progress, another period of time could be set. If the contractor does not make satisfactory progress, the contract may be terminated.
At the time of the meeting, certificate of occupancy site issues included: a change review by the county, swale drainage issues at three locations on two sides of the station. A 100-foot section on the north side is still having “wash-out” onto the sidewalk and two locations on the east side. There also two trees that do not meet the 16-foot requirement.
In addition to site issues there are fire issues, that need to be addressed: sprinklers, smoke wall corrections, firewall corrections, other corrections and a final inspection by M/PIFCD.
The board hired Bob Stewart as an independent contractor and construction consultant to help facilitate getting the certificate of occupancy and establish contacts with the county building department and development services. Stewart is a former Lee County director of codes and building for 25 years.
“I have my name on hundreds of thousands certificates of occupancy,” Stewart said. “I can say what’s happening here is not normal and we’re not even close to getting a certificate of occupancy. It doesn’t take months to get a CO.”
The Matlacha station property was purchased in 2008 and the station was scheduled to be built the following year. When the economy crashed the project was put on hold.
The finished building will have four enclosed sleeping quarters, a community room, three bathrooms, two fire apparatus bays, a kitchen, storage room, exercise rooms and a contamination room. The finished building will be approximately 6,142 square feet.
“We need to complete this station so we can provide service to our community,” Mickuleit said. “The people of Matlacha, Cape Royal and Saddlewood have waited a long time to have the same service the rest of the district receives.”
M/PIFCD commissioners Michael Dreikorn, Elaine Chapman-Moore, Tonya Player, John Cammick and Ken Cox were all present for the meeting.