Columbus Fire Station No. 35
First city project built under Community Benefits Agreement
Columbus Fire Station No. 35 was a small but significant project for the Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council.
Fire Station No. 35 was the first project in the City of Columbus to be built under a Community Benefits Agreement.
Per the agreement, skilled tradesmen and tradeswomen who live in or near Franklin County completed at least 25 percent of the total project work hours. Residents of Columbus completed 20 percent of the total project work hours.
As part of the agreement, the C/COBCTC and its affiliated unions agreed to host at least eight apprenticeship recruitment events in eight different neighborhoods to encourage more minorities, women and low-income residents to join the building trades.
The project’s total cost was roughly $12 million after additional city-desired safety features and an increase in material costs. The 26,750-square-foot fire station created nearly 70 jobs for members of the C/COBCTC.
The additional safety features delayed the start of the project by several months.
C/COBCTC Executive Secretary-Treasurer Dorsey Hager was not pressured by the delay and said the workers on site stepped up and completed the project safely, on time and under budget.
The project began construction in September 2018 and was successfully completed by the spring of 2020.
The success of this project opened the door for other public projects done involving the C/COBCTC. After the success of Fire Station No. 35, the city signed a similar CBA to build the Linden Park Community Center.