City Commission votes to pursue funding for new fire station while holding off on decision to demolish old building
By Carla McKeown and Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan
About 40 people filled the Breckenridge City Commission chambers Wednesday night, April 16, for a special called meeting regarding the future of the local fire station and the 103-year-old building where it is currently housed. After listening to everyone who signed up to speak and then debating the topic amongst themselves, the commissioners voted to move forward with pursuing financing for a new fire station while continuing to look into the future of the old building.
Kristi Williams talked to the Breckenridge City Commission at a special meeting on April 16, urging them to remodel the 103-year-old building that currently houses the fire department. Click here to see more photos from the meeting. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
The discussion has a history that goes back almost a year as the City staff and commissioners worked with the Breckenridge Fire Department members and others to try and come up with a plan to deal with the building that has had a leaky roof, mold growth and other problems. The most recent discussion started at the April 1 City Commission meeting, when the commissioners agreed that the BFD needs a new fire station but disagreed on whether or not the current building, which was constructed in 1922, needs to be torn down or left standing.
Because of the problems with the building, earlier this year, the firefighters moved into temporary living quarters that were installed in the parking lot north of the station.
Another part of the conversation is where the new fire station will be built. If the old building is torn down, a new station could be built in the same location. If the building remains in place, a new location will need to be agreed on.
The official motion on the topic last Wednesday was to “pause demolition of the existing facility (and) move forward with finding grants to build a new fire station on any location.” The motion was approved with a 4-1 vote with commissioners Greg Akers, Blake Hamilton and Vince Moore and Mayor Bob Sims voting in favor of it, and commissioner Rob Durham voting against it.
After the meeting, Durham talked to the Breckenridge Texan about the reason for his “no” vote, saying that he thought the way it was handled will slow down the process.
“Our fire department needs … a new building, … new living quarters and things like that. It’s just the fact of, originally, we had talked about everything being in one motion of being the new fire station and demolition of the building, or not to demolish the building. And we kind of went off tangent a little bit,” Durham said. “So I think … the future commission is going to have an extra thing that they have to come up with, rather than have all of this packaged and make it easier to move forward with everything as a whole. I think our firefighters … deserve it. I just didn’t like the direction … that we took off in, compared to the last meeting … when we tabled it. We just took off in a different direction, and I just didn’t like it. And I think we’re just gonna suffer a little bit because of time, because that’s an extra thing that we’re gonna have to consider, as far as, like a new location and things like that, when we had already kind of previously discussed staying in the same location.”
Will Warren, a former Breckenridge firefighter, said the old fire station should be torn down. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Although the City staff, the commissioners and members of an ad hoc committee organized by City Manager Cynthia Northrop had previously discussed a plan to tear down the building located on the northeast corner at the intersection of West Elm Street and North Court Street, in January, the commission approved the ad hoc committee’s request to have a feasibility study conducted to compare the cost of a building a new fire station with the cost of remodeling the current facility in order to re-evaluate the previously approved plan.
When the feasibility study by Gary Baker & Associates was presented to the commission on April 1, Northrop offered an alternative plan with different cost estimates for the demolition of the building and constructing a new building in its place. Hamilton did not agree with her assessment of the old building and argued that it shouldn’t be torn down. At that time, Akers made a motion — which was approved 3-1 — to table the topic and reconvene when all four commissioners and the mayor could be present for another discussion; commissioner Moore was not at the April 1 meeting.
At the April 16 meeting, nine people signed up and spoke up about the project at the beginning of the meeting. Several of the speakers, including retired firefighters and one current firefighter, spoke in favor of tearing down the old building, citing issues with mold, leaks and the general deterioration of the interior of the building. Others addressed the historical significance of the building and voiced a desire to save it.
Peggy Holder talks to the city commission about the city’s old municipal, which is currently used as the fire station. Her remarks were cut short by the three-minute time limit for public speakers. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Kristi Williams, the founder of 40 Something Cowgirls, talked about the renovation she and her husband, Ted, did on the organization’s shop at 113 W. Walker St., a building that was constructed in 1922. They had previously refurbished a local building that was built in 1915, she said.
“Ted and I believe in the preserving the character and history of Breckenridge, and we’ve put that belief into action,” Williams said. “… First and foremost, I want everybody to understand that I am not here simply to save a building, advocating for that. I am here to not only save this building but to try to get us to a point where we’re providing the … best, the most beautiful building we can for our firefighters. This can be done with a remodel.”
Williams presented the commissioners and others with a two-page handout, “Fire Station Redevelopment: Key Considerations & Observations,” which included information about funding opportunities, ideas for a multi-phase remodel plan, long-term viability and more.
Also speaking in favor of saving the old building was Stacey Jandrucko. “I’m coming to before the city council today, not as a citizen of Breckenridge, but as a frequent visitor who loves this place and its historical architecture,” she said. “… The idea of destroying such an iconic historical building and replacing it with a new mobile building, in my opinion, would take away from the charm of the city and reduce the historic building … to rubble and remove it from history. I have served on the economic development committees of both the City of Fort Worth and Parker County and can assure you that caring for the history of your iconic buildings, including fire stations, is of paramount importance, so I’d ask you to honor this beautiful city and choose to keep this structure in place and intact.”
City Commissioner Blake Hamilton, right, discusses the fire station situation with members of the audience and other commissioners at Wednesday night’s meeting. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
There were others in attendance who did not sign up to speak but who expressed their support for saving the building. They also pointed out their displeasure that the speakers were allowed only three minutes each to address the commission.
Stephens County Commissioner Will Warren addressed the commission, offering his opinion on the topic. “I’m a retired firefighter from here in Breckenridge, and other than these two guys (Larry Mahan and David Easley) and Malcolm (Bufkin) in the back, nobody spent as much time in that building as I have,” he said. “It’s nasty; it’s old. And, from what I understand, the prices that you got were just for remodeling the downstairs. So the upstairs, the stage area, the auditorium, none of that’s going to be fixed, correct? So it’s going to continue to fall down with the guys underneath. So my vote would be to tear it down and build a new one.”
David Easley, who retired as a captain with the BFD, also provided some insider perspective on the old building. “I spent 28 years in that building. … I know that there’s no heating and cooling system that actually fits it. The sewer system is in such horrible, horrible condition that, you know, there was clay pipes up under it. We actually had to go in there, and while we were there, demolish a lot of that and put new pipes in so that we didn’t have to smell sewer night and day. But guess what? It didn’t work. It is a mess in there. The roof, in 1998 leaked so bad, y’all, it looked like Niagara Falls coming down. And that was about the same year somewhere around in there, they tore out all of the old bleachers, seats in the auditorium, because the floor was rotten out and it is at a 10% incline.
The old Breckenridge Municipal Building, at the corner of North Court and West Elm, across from the Stephens County Courthouse, currently serves as the Breckenridge fire station. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
“I mean, if you’re going to refurbish the building, you’re going to have to do it from head to toe, and all that rotten wood up there gotta go somewhere, and all the mold and the mildew has gotta go somewhere,” Easley continued. “Because, let me tell you something, that place is loaded with it. And, you know, slowly but surely, each department has moved out of that building. … And you know, if there was a plan to spit and polish, I think that sailed about 50 years ago, because in the meantime we just backed up and let it go.”
Jose Garcia, a current captain with the BFD, spoke on behalf of himself and several other firefighters. “I’ve traveled to Canada, traveled to South America, different countries, and everywhere I go, I visit fire departments and all their stations,” Garcia said. “And (if) you have a station that you’re actually taking pride in, it’s a nicer build, it makes your going to work, showing up, makes it a lot easier. And this station we have here needs to go, because, I mean, we’re all sick.
“… I understand, historical buildings are nice, but how many of you have actually stepped foot in that building and stayed at night waking up with … your chest hurting, the allergies?” Garcia asked everyone in the room. “The asbestos, the mold, we’re all sick from it. Because I can be gone for a week and I’m fine. I come back, and there’s something that building is just not feasible. … So I speak for most of the young guys and everybody else that’s been there at the fire department, that we’re all for tearing it down.”
Peggy Holder talked to the commission about the history of the old building, as well as about several other old buildings and structures in town that were torn down to make way for newer facilities. Due to the time limit on public speakers, Holder wasn’t able to say everything she had to say, but she finished by supporting the demolition. “The old City Hall, which houses the fire department, has fulfilled its purpose. The money to renovate and continue maintenance on this facility would be a waste,” she said.
Breckenridge City Commissioner Rob Durham said his opinion on the debate about the fire station is about wanting what’s best for the firefighters. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Retired Breckenridge Police Chief Larry Mahan wrapped up the public speaking section of the meeting by providing his perspective. “I started in that building, and it was a bad building back then. When I started, the police department had one room. The rest (of the building) was taken up by the city, everything in the city,” Mahan said. “But I won’t say that the building has outlived itself. The fact is, it’s a historical building. And I know, nowadays, we don’t care about history, everybody’s trying to wipe history out. But it is a historical building.
“I don’t know what the answer is,” Mahan continued. “Yes, we need a new fire station. Does it need to be there? Why does it have to be there? Why can’t it be on North Breckenridge? There’s two or three lots up there. South Breckenridge, there’s two or three lots. It doesn’t have to be right where the metal building is. … That building exits the fire department off on a parking lot. I think it should exit on street. … But anyway, the fact is that I hate to see the building go, but God, we need a new fire station. These guys need a safe place to be, to sleep and wash. I mean, come on, right now the city seems to be flush. I mean, my gosh, look at all the money we spent the last two years. I don’t know where they came up with the money, because, used to, it wasn’t in the budget. The budget wasn’t there for that. Now, then, we seem to have a lot of money, so let’s go build a fire station.”
Following a background explanation from Northrop, Commissioner Moore expressed his conflict over the situation. “I see both sides of it, you know, it’s one of those things, like I’m sitting there walking a middle top rope between a historic building and knowing that we need something new,” he said. “I think that the thing that sticks out to me as being a thorn in my head is that we’re doing a lot of mental gymnastics, I think, with the money … the estimates of what could cost, you know. Because we have engineers and architects saying this is what we think it would be. We have contractors saying this is what we think it would be. But (then we’re like) ‘Well, maybe not this and maybe not that.’ That’s tough to me, because numbers are numbers are numbers. And so … it’s when you start editorializing numbers, to know where to lean. And that’s, that’s been the hardest thing in my head.”
Moore also talked about the need for the firefighters to have a new fire station, as well as his interest in the historical nature of the building.
“So part of me says, OK, you walk into what is an old building on the outside, but when you walk in, it’s gonna be brand new,” he said. “Like you know, you walk into the Blackhorse or … see those pictures and Neri’s. Or, you walk into the National Theater. You don’t walk in say, ‘God, this is an old building.’ You think, ‘Wow, look what they’ve done with this old building.’
City Commissioner Vince Moore said he can see both sides of the situation — the benefit of building a new fire station and the historical need to save the old building. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
“Imagine for just a second … Neri’s comes in and says, ‘Hey, we we want to build a restaurant. We really like this location, right across from the courthouse. It’s gorgeous. Let’s tear down this Beall’s building so I can put a metal shed here’ that’s different than this building that my grandmother worked in when she when it was a JC Penney. And here we are looking at the building that my grandfather worked in when he was a police officer for 30 years. You know? I mean … there’s a sentimentality to that, to me personally, that’s, that’s really hard for me to get my head wrapped around.”
Toward the end of the meeting, resident Kay Meadows asked the commissioners if a new building would have to be metal, as has been discussed in plans for a new fire station. “Does it have to be metal? Could it not be brick, like the law enforcement center?” she asked.
Commissioner Akers said that plans include for rock cladding to be put on the proposed building, about halfway up. Rock from the ground to the roof would be expensive he said.
“But, you know, something so that it’s just not a metal building,” Meadows said. “… if they’re gonna have to tear it down and do something, make it halfway attractive.”
After the commissioners continued to discuss the many aspects of the situation, Akers again made a motion that didn’t follow the course of action suggested by the City staff, which was to approve to either approve the demolition or remodel of the old building. Instead, he proposed to move forward with finding funding to build a new building without deciding, at this time, where to build that new structure. “Currently, we’re going to have to back-burner the demo conversation for a later date on the old building,” he said. “… We give ourselves a couple months to see what’s out there and see who we can talk to and find something.”
After the meeting, Northrop said, “Instead of doing phase two, which was, you know, demolish, we’re going to just proceed with looking at potentially different locations and looking for grants and trying to get more information for those two items.”
Several members of the Breckenridge Fire Department attended the April 16 meeting of the city commission. Capt. Jose Garcia, left, spoke on behalf of the firefighters, recommending the demolition of the old building because it has mold and other problems. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Cutline, top photo: Kay Meadows talks to the Breckenridge City Commissioners about the importance of building a nice looking fire station. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
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