Bethel Park Council awards construction bid for new fire station
Bethel Park Council awarded a contract for the construction of the new Brightwood Fire Station at its committee meeting Jan. 26.
Tomlyn Construction of Bakerstown will be paid $6,756,000 to build a new facility to replace a smaller, aging building that was demolished last year.
The station’s garage will have six bays for fire vehicles. The first floor will also house a locker room, decontamination area, storage rooms and bunk area. The second floor will have office spaces and training areas.
Construction will begin in the spring and the fire station should be finished by summer 2016.
The entire project budget is about $8.3 million, which includes demolition of the old building and preparing the property for construction.
In 2013, voters approved a .34-mill tax to fund the volunteer fire department, which allowed the department to proceed with its construction plans. The department will also use donations to pay for a portion of the project.
Since the old facility was demolished about a year ago, the department has been using its smaller stations on Clifton Road and Milford Drive and renting space at a garage on West Library Avenue.
In another matter, council will likely consider, at its regular meeting Feb. 9, final approval for plans to build a retirement living facility at the former Logan Elementary School on Keystone Drive.
Bethel Park Retirement Living Properties, LP plans to demolish the school and build a 132-unit apartment building for independent senior living.
Bethel Park School District has not used the building as an elementary school for at least 20 years. It more recently served as classrooms for Community College of Allegheny County, but the school district had been trying to sell the property for four years before the developer purchased it last May for $700,000.