A Wellington fire station built in 1979 is nearly doubling in size under a planned renovation, creating more space for firefighters and paramedics and adding touches such as metal sloping roofs and a tower with the numeral 25.
It is happening at Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue Station 25 at 1060 Wellington Trace. The village’s Architectural Review Board gave unanimous approval for proposed colors, elevations and signs for the refit on Wednesday, June 26.
The core apparatus bays that send out the big trucks will remain, with a hefty rebuild planned around them and a fresh exterior look overall.
Much of the expansion involves living and working quarters, from bunks to a gym area, offices, meeting areas, a dayroom, a covered porch and a gazebo, according to site plans.
“We’re going to bring in state-of-the-art, new facilities for them and also focus on their health, one of the new major issues for our firefighters,” said Ivan Gomez, an architect working on the project for the county at Currie Sowards Aguila Architects.
Station 25 currently covers 6,091 square feet on 1.8 acres. The plan is to expand it to 10,720 square feet.
Replacing what is now a flat roof, the higher of two gabled roofs facing Wellington Trace will peak more than 30 feet from the ground over the main bays.
The numeral 25 will appear in a clock-style tower over a walkway entrance.
“We took inspiration from the towers you have at the amphitheater and village hall,” Gomez said.
With more exterior surface area, PBCFR requested two additional primary wall signs and one secondary wall sign.
The village does not normally allow a lot of red building paint, but it makes exceptions for fire stations because the color is so closely tied to firefighting work.
The red color will appear on the main bay doors and accent features, such as an “eyebrow,” an extension along the building face. If renderings are any guide, it appears to be a deeper and darker shade than the slightly orange-reddish hue there now.
That will be set against muted off-white and blue shades on exterior walls and silver metal roofing.
Village staff recommended approval. The board concurred 6-0 with Board Member John Greene absent.
Palm Beach County is the applicant in this case. There was no discussion at the meeting about construction timetables, costs or sources of funding.
Hopes for state help for another public safety building in the village took a hit when $500,000 for a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office substation in Wellington fell victim to the governor’s veto pen recently. Other local projects that were vetoed after making the state budget were $500,000 for Park Road North in Royal Palm Beach and $2 million for County Road 880 west of Wellington.
In other business:
- The board agreed to allow a slightly larger than standard auxiliary ground sign for a medical office building just north of Wellington Regional Medical Center at Forest Hill Blvd. and State Road 7. The sign is designed to help motorists find the building when they are driving on interior roads in the complex.
- The board approved updates to the village’s approved code involving exterior home colors and fence designs. Modifications or clarifications include that high-gloss and semi-gloss paint is not permitted, and the garage and front doors shall be painted or stained one color.
- The board chose Stacy Somers to continue as chair, with Maria Raspanti as vice chair.
