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Zoning for fire station wins preliminary okay
By JAMIE JONES, Times Staff Writer Residents of northeastern Hernando County soon could get a new fire station. The county planning board on Monday approved a zoning change for 5 acres near U.S. 41 and Lake Lindsey Road, where Hernando County Fire Rescue wants to build a new station. The station would serve about 3,750 people in Istachatta, Nobleton and Lake Lindsey, said Chief Mike Nickerson. The fire district is awaiting final approval from county commissioners next month before paying $47,500 for the property. Since April 2001, the district has worked from a temporary station at a state Division of Forestry training center on U.S. 41, about 1 mile north of Lake Lindsey Road. The temporary station has one fire engine and two firefighters. The new station also would have a brush truck, relocated from the Hernando County Airport, Nickerson said. The site would be about 3.5 miles south of the temporary station and more central to the fire district's target area, Nickerson said. The new station's service boundaries run to the Citrus and Sumter county lines and end at western Lake Lindsey Road and the city of Brooksville. "We're very excited," Nickerson said. "I know that the people will be proud of the new fire station out there." Nickerson said if the commission approves the zoning change, he hopes to award the building contract early next year and to have the station completed by next summer. The district would reuse a set of architectural plans for the station, although they need updating, Nickerson said. The total project cost, including the land, is $419,000, he said. The Planning and Zoning Commission approved the rezoning 4 to 1, with Anna Liisa Covell voting against it. She was concerned about traffic and safety problems at U.S. 41 and Lake Lindsey Road, with more fire trucks in the area. If approved, Nickerson said, he will quickly put a mobile home on the property as a temporary fire station. The new station likely would have a driveway on Lake Lindsey Road. The county pays Tri-County Fire Rescue $15,900 a year to supplement its patrol of the area. The county's arrangement with the volunteer department is not expected to change, Nickerson said. -- Staff writer Jennifer Liberto contributed to this report. -- Jamie Jones covers law enforcement and courts in Hernando County and can be reached at 754-6114. Send e-mail to jjones@sptimes.com.
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