The current Lakewood Fire Department station, located at 37 J.W. Packard Blvd., is pictured. A feasibility study will be completed by LaBella Associates, based in Rochester. P-J photo by Michael Zabrodsky

LAKEWOOD – Village trustees are moving forward with their plan to upgrade the Lakewood Fire Department station.

At a recent meeting, trustees approved the LaBella Associates proposal for a Lakewood Volunteer Fire Department Plan and feasibility study. The agreement is for $46,000 and an additional $1,000 budget allowance for reimbursable expenses.

On Jan. 8, trustees approved a measure to create an LFD Project Task Force which sought a qualified professional consultant to review and evaluate the existing LFD facility, make a building conditions assessment, assess potential options for expanding the current space, provide conceptual design work, estimate costs, and produce a feasibility study.

The fire station is located at 37 J.W. Packard Blvd.

Trustee Ben Troche previously said that the building is approaching its 30-year mark, and there needs to be work done at the station to guarantee its future.

The structure, originally built in 1995, Mayor Randy Holcomb noted there is new evidence over the past 15 years that has brought attention to the long-term health risks associated with equipment used for firefighting. Holcomb added that the call volume of the LFD has more than doubled in that time frame coupled with more required training for volunteer firefighters.

“As a result, the current facility needs alterations, and maintenance to secure the structure’s next 29 years,” Holcomb said.

Tom Simbari, studio manager and senior project manager at LaBella, said the scope of services for the LFD building will include a conceptual design which aligns the needs assessment and conditions assessment into proposed design solutions.

Simabri said some other tasks that are outlined for the project include:

– Building conditions assessment

– Code review

– Needs assessment programming

– Preliminary utility analysis

– Conceptual design rough order of magnitude (ROM) construction cost estimates

“The goal of our work is to work with the village and project stakeholders to evaluate the facility for the village to make an informed decision on how to approach improvements, alterations, and/or an addition to the facility” Simbari said.