Greer council to vote on $9.7 million fire station price

Greer City Council will vote Tuesday on a $9,689,790 price to build the city’s new fire station on Groce Meadow Road.

The station is one of four ForGreer projects the council launched in 2024. The city estimated it would cost $10 million.

The item is on the agenda for the regular council meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, at City Hall, 301 E. Poinsett St. The agenda and packet were posted Friday.

What the council is asked to approve

The city hired a construction manager at risk for the job and chose Hogan Construction Group, a Nov. 6 memo from Deputy City Administrator Michael Sell says. Under that kind of contract, the builder sets a guaranteed maximum price before work starts.

Hogan has now sent that price. Staff asks the council to approve it. The memo says the money will come from the Corporation for Greer Fund.

Hogan’s cost sheet, dated Nov. 5 and attached to the memo, gives these figures:

• Total: $9,689,790
• Building size: 17,221 square feet
• Cost per square foot: $562.67
• Contingency: $296,122, or 3.25%
• Builder’s fee: $282,227, or 3%
• Building permit: $67,830

The site is 701 Groce Meadow Road. The address uses a Taylors mailing address. It is about six miles northwest of City Hall, near Lake Cunningham.

The biggest costs

Trade work adds up to $8,867,559 before permit, insurance, bond, contingency and fee. The largest lines on the sheet are:

Why the city is building it

The city’s ForGreer projects page says the station will:

• support the Lake Cunningham area
• be a suburban response facility
• house water rescue equipment and Quick Response Vehicle medical teams

The same page says the station “will address increased growth in the northern part of the city.” Our Lake Cunningham neighborhood guide covers the area it will serve.

How ForGreer is paid for

ForGreer has four projects, and the city put their total at about $100 million. The city’s ForGreer timeline page gives these estimates:

The city pays for them with installment purchase revenue bonds. The timeline page says:

• the 2024 bonds raised $40 million
• the 2025 bonds raised $52 million and “fully funds new Fire Station”

On April 9, 2024, the council passed Resolution 13-2024 by a 6-1 vote, the timeline page says. It approved the installment purchase agreement and ratified the Corporation for Greer, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

The Public Safety Training Center on Hood Road was the first ForGreer project to open. The Prisma Health Performance Center, the sports and events center, is due to open in early 2027.

Also on Tuesday’s agenda

The regular meeting will also take up:

• second and final reading of Ordinance 43-2026, rezoning 104 Albert St. from Suburban Neighborhood to Traditional Neighborhood
• the council’s 2027 meeting schedule
• an appointment to the Housing Authority of the City of Greer board and an associate judge appointment

Before it, at 5:30 p.m., the council holds a special called meeting on the city’s Flock camera system. We cover that in our Flock workshop story.

What it means for you

• You can attend. The meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall. The agenda has a public forum near the start.
• The money is set aside. The memo names the Corporation for Greer Fund as the source, and the city’s ForGreer page says the 2025 bonds fully fund the new fire station. Tuesday’s vote sets the construction price.
• No opening date yet. Neither the memo nor the ForGreer pages give a construction start or an opening date. We will add them when the city publishes them.

Who to call at City Hall is on our City Hall contacts page. Fire calls and incidents are in our weekly Police and Fire log.