ASHLAND — Fire officials are expected to get a new training facility soon.
Ashland City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved city officials avoiding the public bidding process and enter into an agreement with Forge Fire & Company.
The Columbus-based outfit is expected to build a $653,000 training facility, dubbed the Ashland County Fire Training Facility, on city-owned property behind Ashland Fire Division’s #2 station.
Funding for the project is coming from a $200,000 state grant and a $350,000 donation from the Samaritan Hospital Foundation. The rest will come from Ashland Fire Division’s fire training fund, if needed, Ashland Mayor Matt Miller said.
The mayor said the total price could come down because area businesses have donated services related to preparing the site.
No public bid?
Miller addressed concerns expressed by the city’s finance director, Larry Paxton, who was absent from Tuesday’s meeting, that the project should be put out to a public bid.
“The reason why we did not go to bid on this project was because after doing his due diligence, the city engineer determined that it is a sole source that is providing the building,” Miller said.
It is unclear exactly how the law director, Rick Wolfe, sees the issue. He was absent during Tuesday’s meeting. But, in an email that he sent to all council members before the meeting, he wrote, in part:
“This purchase without preparing the official specifications to engage in competitive bidding may well be proper. But we must make certain that we follow the proper procedures and are able to justify obviating the bidding process.”
According to a document shared with council members, Forge Fire & Company utilizes a patent-pending “modular/interchangeable bolt-in prop system” for the facility.
“Our company holds a single sole source proprietorship in manufacturing all the tactical feature options listed below,” reads the document. It lists 18 customizable features.
Councilman Jason Chio asked if the facility’s 41 feet 6 inches height poses an issue with restrictions.
“It’s really considered a four-story building at that point,” Chio said.
The mayor said he didn’t ask that specific question when he discussed it with Shane Kremser, the city’s engineer.
But “it’s been approved through the engineer’s office,” the mayor said.
Location
Steve Workman, City Council President, said he visited the site to get a feel for its location relative to proximity to other residential neighborhoods.
Though the station’s 4.7-acre property goes up against a residential property along Ridgewood Court — known as the Woodview Estates — Workman believes there would be a “tremendous buffer” between the training facility and houses.
Miller said fire officials have said the training facility would be used by city firefighters and others — paid or volunteer — throughout the county year-round. He said it could be used up to six times per year, but doesn’t know for sure how many times it will be used.
“Where this lies behind that fire station is a bit of setback where the land begins to slope down. It’s not like were going to have this towering structure of containers in the middle of a residential area — I can assure you,” Workman said.
Officials did not have a timeline for the project’s completion but said the company has six other sites ahead of Ashland.