It looks like the Antonia Fire Protection District has a buyer for House 1 at 3538 Old Hwy. M, which has been closed for nearly two years.
The district’s three-member board of directors voted unanimously in a Feb. 2 closed meeting to sell the station for $255,000, Deputy Chief Bobby Chrisco said.
He said Antonia Fire would not name the buyer until the deal is finalized. The closing date is scheduled for Feb. 17.
Chrisco said the district received three offers for the property that is just more than half an acre and includes a 6,000-square-foot building constructed in 1953.
He said the firehouse was closed in April 2021 after mold was found in the living area.
The crews that used to be housed at House 1 have been working out of House 3, at 7138 Old Hwy. 21 in Otto, ever since.
The board voted unanimously Jan. 10 to sell the old House 1, and the district listed the price at $199,999.
“They determined we couldn’t sink more than $100,000 to remediate the house and gut it with no guarantee we won’t have mold damage again,” Chrisco said.
After House 1 was closed, Antonia Fire began working with the Rock Community and Saline Valley fire protection districts to make sure those districts are notified first about calls they can respond to quicker, Chrisco said.
“It is not ideal,” he said of not being able to use House 1. “Station 1 is in the center of our fire protection district. There are certain areas that we have added a minute or two to our response time with that station not being there.”
Chrisco said the district is seeking a location where another firehouse can be built.
“The plan is while we investigate other pieces of property that will be a good location for a station, we will take the money from the sale (of the existing House 1) and put it in a six-month trust that is high-interest bearing to maximize that money,” he said.
Issues
Chrisco said the district had dealt with mold issues in the building for a number of years.
He said the building is in a creek bed, but water typically does not seep into it during flood events.
However, because the building’s foundation is concrete, moisture seeps into the building and creates recurring mold issues.
“We have been told the concrete is porous and absorbs moisture, and because it is in a high humidity area, (the mold issue) will keep occurring,” Chrisco said. “The building is in great shape. It is a solid building, but for sleeping requirements, it is a hazard.”
As a result of the mold problem, district officials started examining the possibility of selling House 1 and building a new station, Chief Matt Krutzsch said.
“Each time it costs tens of thousands of dollars to remediate the mold,” he said. “When you do that every four years, that is a lot of money we are sinking in when we can buy a new house and not have that issue.”
Chrisco said even though the district had dealt with the mold issue, no firefighters’ health was seriously affected by it.
“We have a couple say their allergies at House 1 were heightened,” he said. “There also is a huge field behind House 1 that is not maintained and has a lot of weeds and growth. It is hard to say if it is that or other factors. No one became seriously ill while at House 1.”
Along with recurring mold problems, Chrisco said modern firetrucks no longer fit in House 1, since the station’s garage door has just a 9-foot, 10-inch clearance.
“In the 50s when the group of volunteer firefighters purchased that land, it worked fantastic,” Chrisco said. “Firetrucks, which cost more than a half million dollars, do not fit in there. You spend over $100,000 to get the building right, and even if you do get lucky and not have a problem again, we either have to pay extra for a truck that will fit inside the station or buy a truck we can’t get into the building.”
Plans
Chrisco said the district has identified two pieces of land within a 2-mile radius of House 1 that could work for a new station.
He said the properties are owned by the Missouri Department of Transportation.
“I would hope by mid-year, we will lock in on a piece of land,” Chrisco said.
He said Antonia Fire officials are hopeful the land could be purchased for less than $50,000.
The cost to build a new station would likely be more than $1 million, Chrisco said.
“The goal will be to build a pole-barn style,” Krutzsch said. “We want something that will last a while but on the less expensive side of things.”
Krutzsch said only two of Antonia Fire’s three houses have been staffed full time, and after a new House 1 is constructed, district officials will examine whether three houses are needed.
“Based on tax money coming in and growth in our area, I don’t know if in three years, we will have a need for three stations,” he said. “Station 3 is not a bad location if we could afford to staff three stations. More than likely if our tax base does not increase, we would entertain selling House 3.”
Antonia Fire covers 36 square miles including portions of Barnhart, Imperial, House Springs and Hillsboro.
The district has 21 full-time firefighters, including Chrisco and Krutzsch.