By: Joe Morguess
The Kings Point in Tamarac Board of Directors voted 12-0 to reject the city of Tamarac’s offer to build a fire station on their property which would have improved emergency response times, according to the city.
The closest fire station is located on Hiatus Road, and while City Manager Michael Cernech said that first responders are meeting their response times goals of eight minutes 90 percent of the time, building on Kings Point property would greatly improve it. The new station would have been located at the Kings Point south parking lot, west of the Kings Court building on a quarter of an acre of land.
Cernich made a Powerpoint presentation to the board and several hundred residents were in attendance at the Palace Theater. Although Commissioner Julie Fishman and Mayor Dressler were in attendance, only Cernich spoke.
This was the city’s Plan B. Their first proposal involved leasing space in a building north of Kings Point, however, that lease was too expensive. The city offered to lease Kings Point property for the first year or two followed by purchasing it after that initial trial period.
The board’s main objections against the city’s purchase and ownership of Kings Point property was that it would impact the growth and future projects of the community as well as increase traffic flow on the already congested Nob Hill Road. During a discussion, several residents from the audience suggested the city’s “use” of Kings Point to further their overall welfare was reminiscent of the charter school debacle several years ago. Cernech admitted the fire station on Hiatus was a mistake made before he was at the city, and that it wasn’t in the best location.
One resident suggested that the city leave residents alone for the next 20 years, with no future offers. He commented that the city of Tamarac doesn’t ever seem to have Kings Point’s welfare at heart.
