Zebulon Fire Station 2 Remains on List

ZEBULON – Town staffers say the ball could get rolling on a second fire station on the northern end of town as early as the second half of this year.

That is, unless something more important pops up and puts a hold on the new station — like a change in GlaxoSmithKline’s tax value and the lack of anticipated development did to the project this fiscal year.

The second fire station was originally listed in the town’s Capital Improvement Plan in the 2006 budget as a project to begin in 2012. Zebulon Finance Director Emily Lucas said the town received about $175,000 less revenue than expected when in October it discovered a discrepancy in Glaxo’s tax valuation. That and the continued slowdown in residential development prompted town staff to put the project on hold.

The project was bumped back in the town’s 2012 budget to a starting date of fiscal year 2013 which begins this July, with construction to begin in fiscal year 2014. But Lucas said the project might have to battle through similar obstacles again since it will be considered among other capital projects in the upcoming budget.

“We have to look at the projects we had on the list for this year and those we delayed and determine which ones are more important at this point,” Lucas said. “We’re probably going to look at it in real detail at the town board’s retreat on February 23.”

Owners See a Need

Both April Hagwood and William Parrish say the northern and western ends of town need a fire station.

Hagwood, co-owner of Hillbillies on North Arendell Avenue, said rush-hour traffic creates an obstacle fire trucks shouldn’t have to overcome.

“Can you imagine if Sheetz caught on fire?” she said. “First of all, you wouldn’t get a fire truck across that bridge at 4:30 or 5 p.m. And you can’t get in and out of a restaurant, much less get a fire truck up here.”

Hagwood said the need for a fire station is greater north of town than it is around the downtown area. She said when most downtown businesses are shutting down around 5 p.m. is when most of the action is heating up in the northern corridor.

“But you’ve got a big old fire department down there waiting for something to come out, and then they have to sit through four or five stop lights just to get up here,” she said.

Hagwood also said it doesn’t make sense for Zebulon residents to wait for fire departments from Pilot or Hopkins to respond to calls made by people paying taxes in Zebulon.

“They need to supply Zebulon folks with a fire department. If you don’t go over the bridge with the fire truck you have to go all the way around by the middle school and by then a house is going to burn down,” she added.

Parrish, owner of Parrish Realty on North Arendell Avenue, views the need from a business standpoint. He said Zebulon’s future growth is going to take place north and west of town, and that it is important the town be ahead of the game in accommodating the needs of future residents.

“The fire station doesn’t serve the community like it did many years ago,” Parrish said. “Zebulon is really on the verge of seeing some significant growth. I can clearly show you we need it from where I’m sitting. It will save so much headache in the future.”

Like Hagwood, Parrish said the traffic that follows the growth he anticipates will present a problem for emergency officials.

“Zebulon is a hub and the roads coming and leaving Zebulon are numerous. You’re faced with a right good amount of traffic in the afternoon and particularly Friday afternoon. With a fire station on Green Pace Road, you’ll be able to go from there to anywhere up and down that area at ease.”

Plan on Paper

The fire station project technically began in 2007, when the town purchased about two acres of land just west of the water tower on Green Pace Road at a cost of $120,000.

Zebulon Fire station No. 2 is planned to be about 5,000 square feet and have two bays, an office and sleeping area to facilitate 24-hour shifts.

The town plans to seek funds from Wake County and other sources to help fund the project, while some equipment will be transferred from the existing station to the new station.

Plans are to finance the new building, estimated to cost $2,030,000, through a 10-year installment purchase agreement. The project is slated to begin with a $30,000 preliminary engineering report including cost estimates, site layout, site conditions and utilities in fiscal year 2013.