The Town of Highlands public safety committee unanimously approved D.R. Reynolds Company Inc. to serve as the construction manager for the town’s new fire station.
Highlands Fire and Rescue Chief Ryan Gearhart noted that the town sent out a request for qualifications and received proposals from three companies. After reviewing each company’s experience, work history and past projects, Gearhart recommended D.R. Reynolds to the committee on Thursday.
“I talked with people who have used all three companies and the experience others have had with D.R. Reynolds was nothing but positive,” Gearhart said. “Vannoy Construction also submitted a strong portfolio, but they primarily build hospitals and other types of government buildings. That’s not to say they couldn’t build a fire station of this size, but they haven’t built one in a long time.”
The third company to submit a proposal was Bobbitt Design.
“What separates D.R. Reynolds in my mind is that they have the most experience with fire departments and the most relevant recent experience,” public safety committee member and Highlands Town Commissioner, John ‘Buz’ Dotson said. “Looking at their proposal, I feel comfortable recommending them.”
The Highlands board of commissioners voted to move forward with building a new fire station in May of 2019 and purchased the 2.58-acre tract across from the United States Post Office on Franklin Road to house a new facility in June.
In November the board got its first look at architectural drawings for the new station, which will include seven truck bays, office space, sleeping quarters, meeting space and a commercial kitchen. The station will also feature an exhaust ventilation system, interior wash bay for equipment and command center.
The estimated price tag to build the new station was approximately $4 million at the onset of the project. The building will be paid for via a two-cent fire tax increase that was approved as part of the town budget in June of 2019.
“Now that the public safety committee has chosen a construction manager we can make that known to the board of commissioners,” Highlands Town Manager Josh Ward said. “D.R. Reynolds will get to work getting estimates together and come back to us with a ‘not to exceed’ amount for the entire project. Once that number is in hand, we will have to put together a contract and the full board will need to approve it before we go any further.”
The new fire station will replace the existing facility at 322 Oak Street. Future plans for that building have not yet been determined.