City Commission Approves Purchase of Site for Third Fire Station

A third fire and EMS station to serve the fast-growing south side of Lake Wales will eventually occupy a prime corner spot following unanimous action by the Lake Wales City Commission.

The five-acre future location at the southeast corner of Hunt Bros. Road and Nest Egg Road (South Ninth Street) will be purchased at a cost of $300,000, which Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson said initially gave him some pause, as the appraisal of the site showed a value of $100,000 less.

Courtesy City of Lake Wales

The city's main fire station on West Central Avenue once provided coverage to the entire city, but new construction and increased traffic have made that impossible. Lake Wales Fire Chief Joe Jenkins anticipates eventually needing five stations to serve the growing city.

Fire Chief Joe Jenkins attended the commission meeting and explained for the benefit of the public that the department had inquired about buying other properties in the area, saying this "wasn't our first choice, but said others "weren't willing to sell."

The station "will improve our response time," Jenkins said. "We didn't just close our eyes and point at the map, he added, explaining that station locations are critical to meet the departments' goal of less than five-minute response times, which he said they meet "90 percent of the time."

"It's a take it or leave it" situation, Jenkins said, explaining that the corner location assures rapid access to locations across the city's south side, including the US 27 corridor and business park area, as well as the fast-growing southeast side and even the Walmart shopping district.

"That's going to be a popular corridor," Jenkins said, adding that "the houses are going up quickly."

Jenkins went on to explain the need for additional fire stations as the city grows, saying that the department was also looking at sites near Buck Moore Road and Masterpiece Road on the near northeast side, as well as US 27 near the Hampton Inn and anticipated development at the site of Peace Crossing. That project west of US 27 is expected to eventually host some 6,200 homes.

News file photo

New construction, especially rapid on the city's southeast quadrant, is driving the need for an additional fire station to help keep city emergency response times under five minutes.

The site is a producing citrus grove, an increasing rarity due to the impacts of citrus "greening" disease locally. That Asian bacterial disease is spread by tiny insects and has decimated area citrus groves.

The property is being sold by McKenna Brothers, Inc. & McKenna Family Partnership. It was selected by representatives of the city and the fire department following a review of potential locations.

The purchase of a new station site follows close upon the heels of commission approval of plans to expand the city's Northside Station on Chalet Suzanne Road to accommodate additional firefighters to increase staffing to four on a 24-hour basis. That work is expected to begin in coming months.