Petersburg fire training center relocation could cost $800,000-plus

The Petersburg fire department must vacate its training facility at the airport by December 31, with relocation costs exceeding $800,000 and no confirmed funding source.

Fire Director Aaron Hankins told the Public Safety Advisory Board on Friday that moving the training containers and tower could cost the borough $800,000 or more. The borough administration has not shared a funding plan with him.

"I've been told there may be a working plan, but I have not been included in that conversation, so I cannot speak to how it is being funded," Hankins said.

The training tower presents the biggest challenge. Built in 1993 and purchased for $80,000, the tower cannot be disassembled without permanent damage. Hankins is seeking quotes to move it intact on an oversized trailer before snow arrives.

Losing the training facility could affect the community's insurance costs. According to the Insurance Services Office, Petersburg's aggregate ISO score would drop from 61.1 to just over 60 without the drill ground, enough to bump the community from a Class 4 to a Class 5 rating.

"If ISO is correct, that would be an approximately increase in 10 percent across the board for those who do have insurance," Hankins said.

The borough manager sent Hankins a list of questions on May 27 about two potential relocation sites: one next to the current fire hall and another on 14th Street. Hankins is preparing answers for the assembly to make a site determination.

Other leaseholders at the airport have been notified to stop operations by the end of September. Hankins hopes to move the training equipment before snow complicates the work.