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Seffner-Mango Fire Station Will Open This Year

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By YVETTE C. HAMMETT, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 26, 2008

SEFFNER - Plans are on track to build a $2.5 million station to replace one decertified by the county in 2005.

The new Station 18, which will be at Kingsway and Cactus roads, is expected to open this year, said Hillsborough County Fire Rescue spokesman Ray Yeakley. No date has been set.

By the time the station opens, it will have been four years since Hillsborough Fire Rescue decertified the Seffner-Mango volunteer station farther north on Kingsway. County officials decertified the old Station 18 because severe mold problems were discovered inside and officials had ongoing disagreements with the volunteer group's former chief, Bradley Price.

Officials concluded it would be more cost-efficient to build a station rather than renovate the old one, which was sold to NRG Investments in July for $355,000, according to the county property appraiser's records. The Seffner-Mango fire department owned the building at one time, but property records do not show who sold the building to NRG.

Since the department was decertified, volunteers have been working from a house on the property where the new station will be constructed.

Hillsborough Fire Rescue has requested a variance to allow for fewer parking spaces at the new station than county codes require. Structures built for public use typically must have 26 parking spaces. Because only five volunteers will use the station and much of the property will be used for stormwater retention, fire department administrators are asking to pave only 10 parking spaces.

The variance request will be heard by a county land-use hearing officer at 9 a.m. Feb. 22.

Plans for the old station have not been made public. Price, who could not be reached for comment, said in 2006 that money from the sale of the land would be used to benefit the community.

Reporter Yvette C. Hammett can be reached at (813) 657-4532 or at yhammett@tampatrib.com.

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