By Fallan Patterson
Staff Writer

The Kissimmee Fire Department lost a part of its history this week as crews demolished what was once Fire Station 11 on Dakin Avenue behind City Hall.

After 45 years in service, where it was a functioning fire station, the former station was where the city’s firefighters began and ended careers. Several firefighters from the new Fire Station 11 on North Clyde Avenue watched the demolition Tuesday, some even filming the deconstruction with their cell phones.

“We view the demolition of the old fire station with a mixture of emotions.  Many of our most senior members began their careers at old Fire Station 11 and have many fond memories of that location,” Chief Bob King said. “With the passing of time and growth of the city however, a newer more modern station was needed and it was built at 343 N. Clyde Avenue (in 2010) to replace this old station. We are fortunate, in these tough economic times, the city was able to complete that mission.”

The station, located at 200 W. Dakin Ave., was constructed in 1967. It served as the main fire station, under Chief Arlo Lawrence, and the only station until 1980, when Fire Station 2, later renumbered to 12, was built at 1403 Denn John Lane.  

Later renamed Fire Station 11 and most recently used for the department’s storage and administration needs, the repairs and upkeep for Fire Station 11 would have cost the city more than knocking it down.

Kissimmee City Manager Mike Steigerwald said the city looked closely at uses for the building, including leasing it out or recommissioning it into a health clinic. The renovation costs outweighed the benefits to the community, he said.

“It was obsolete as a fire station,” Steigerwald said, adding the city was paying a couple thousand dollars a month for upkeep and utilities alone. “It served it’s purpose.”

Estimates for renovation and remodeling pushed half a million dollars, including replacing the roof and gutting the building to make it functional for another occupant.

Demolition cost about $75,000 including the city using its own crews and dump trucks to haul away the debris.

The city further saved money, Steigerwald said, by recycling steel and other recyclable material.

“What helps keep the costs down is the contractors sell the recyclables,” he said. “The value of the sale of recyclables helps offset the overall price of the job. It’s something we do for all our demolitions.”

Additionally, the city salvaged reusable portions of the building, including two generators and garage door motors to use as back-ups for other fire stations.

With the removal of the building, the city will sod the area and use it as a small park until the land is needed for another project, possibly to expand parking for city hall.

“Long term, our plans are to remove the building and expand parking,” Steigerwald said, adding the new park is “just somewhere for people to gather.”

While city hall’s parking demands decreased after the recession hit in 2008 and Toho Water Authority moved from the building’s second floor to its own facility in 2010, Steigerwald expects the city to see a parking need in the next five-to-ten years.

“I think we’ll grow at a very gradual pace,” he said. “There’s no current need to add additional parking.”

For residents and employees looking to own a piece of city history, crews pulled bricks from the building to sell as a fundraiser for the Kissimmee Employee Assistance Fund, which aids employees and their families in need of fund to help with funeral costs, if they’re terminally ill or suffer fire or storm damage to their home. Contact the city of Kissimmee at 407-847-2821 to purchase a brick.