PORT NECHES — PORT NECHES — Port Neches Fire Department is hoping to improve response time by moving the station one mile down the road.

The department has applied for a Port Security Grant that will pay the bulk of the cost associated with construction of a new facility, to be located at the intersection of Merriman and Magnolia, leaving the smaller portion to be paid by the city. But the city is already looking at a decade worth of costly projects, some of which are mandated.

Port Neches City Council gave Chief Stephen Currant the green light to submit the grant application late last week. The amount of the grant would be about $2.5 million with the city’s match requirement equating to about $633,427 of the amount.

Additional city funding would be required to the tune of $1 million and therein lies the problem. If the competitive grant is approved, the city would need to issue debt to cover its portion and there are other projects in the works, some of which are mandated, that may take precedence.

“It is important that the City Council remain cognizant of other projects and anticipated needs that will require debt related funding within the next decade, City Manager Andrè Wimer said. “Some of these projects are mandated, some are necessary to simply maintain the city’s infrastructure and some are ‘wish list’ items.”

The items include the Environmental Protection Agency mandated waste water treatment plant storm water retention pond, $4.5 million; sanitary sewer collection system improvements, mandated, $5.5 million; waste water treatment plant improvements, $1.5 million; water distribution system improvements, $1.5 million; streets (overlay), $2 million; streets (concrete repairs), $2.5 million; Port Neches Avenue (sidewalks, crosswalks and other aesthetics), $1.2 million; public works service center for surface improvements, $150,000; and playground additions for parks, $150,000; for a total of $19.3 million.

The current fire station, located at 1209 Merriman St., was constructed in 1972 and at that time was the central location of the city. In the four decades that passed, city developed has moved to the west. The department proposed relocating the station in its 2005 strategic plan, according to information from Port Neches Fire Chief Stephen Curran. The department used National Fire Protection Association standards and the Insurance Services Office, Fire Suppression Rating Schedule, as a guide to determine the location of the fire station to improve the city’s Public Protection Code. The PPC is used to calculate fire insurance premiums and affects mostly commercial policies and can affect residential policies as well.

A structure, Curran said in his document to City Council, has be fully involved in just five minutes and driving a mile down Merriman and going through not one but two school zones cuts down on response time.

Curran detailed response times using the proposed location and the current location:

• Orchard and East Port Neches Avenue — 4:04 minutes/new location, 4:22 minutes/old location

• Port Neches Sewer Plant — 5:19 minutes/new location, 7:37 minutes/old location

• Saba and Twin City Highway — 4:16 minutes/new location, 6:34 minutes/old location

• Merriman and Twin City Highway — 2:28 minutes/new location, 4:46 minutes/old location

• Nall and Twin City Highway — 2:42 minutes/new location, 5 minutes/old location

• Eighth Street and Twin City Highway — 4:07 minutes/new location, 6:25 minutes/old location

• Texas Avenue and FM 366 — 3:01 minutes/new location, 5:19 minutes/old location

Wimer said ultimately council will have to prioritize the list of projects keeping in mind that the city is still waiting final word from TCEQ on some of the projects.

“One large potential issue involves the storm water retention pond and we are still awaiting response (from TCEQ) on that,” Wimer said. “IN the event the project moves forward, that will be the deciding factor regarding the variety of other potential projects.”

Should a conflict occurs, the application for grant funding can be withdrawn.

mmeaux@panews.com