The Mesquite City Council voted last week to continue forward in its current course to build a new fire station on Mesquite Blvd., despite a significant increase to the construction cost projections for the project.<\/p>\n
In a meeting held Tuesday, Sept. 13, the Council voted to employ federal American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) funds to make up a $5 million difference in what was originally allocated for the project.<\/p>\n
In March, the Council approved a city-owned parcel at 105 Mesquite Blvd., just south of the public library branch, as the site for the new station. At that time, the cost projections for construction were between $6.6 and $7 million.<\/p>\n
The council decided then to fund the station using Redevelopment Authority (RDA) money. This would allow the city to employ a Construction Manager At Risk (CMAR) technique thought to be the most economic and quality-driven method. At that time, it was thought that the use of federal ARPA would not allow CMAR projects.<\/p>\n