A $515,000 contract would ready 8615 Roswell Road as Fire Station 1's stand-in while the 1968 Spalding Drive station is rebuilt. The council votes Tuesday.
The Sandy Springs City Council votes Tuesday on a $515,000 contract to fit out a temporary home for Fire Station No. 1 at 8615 Roswell Road.
Crews will work from there while the city demolishes the station at 1425 Spalding Drive and builds a new one on the same site. The city’s Fire Station 1 project page says the current station was built in 1968. Construction of its replacement is scheduled to begin in winter 2027, the page says.
The vote is on the agenda for the council’s regular meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, in the Studio Theatre at City Hall, 1 Galambos Way. The figures below come from the staff memos in the Nov. 3 agenda packet.
Three votes on one stopgap station
The council has three linked items before it:
- The contract (item 2026-292). Award a contract of up to $515,000 to F.H. Paschen, S.N. Nielsen & Associates for the build-out at 8615 Roswell Road.
- The construction budget (item 2026-293). Move $300,000 from the city’s capital contingency fund into the temporary station project.
- The rent (item 2026-294). Move $534,500 that had been set aside for fire truck payments this year. Of that, $216,000 would cover the temporary station’s lease and $318,500 would go to the city’s general contingency fund.
The city asked for bids on Sept. 15 and received three. F.H. Paschen’s was the lowest, the memo says.
| Bidder | Bid |
|---|---|
| F.H. Paschen, S.N. Nielsen & Associates | $515,000 |
| Diversified Construction of Georgia | $567,098 |
| Integrity CRR | $990,000 |
“Timely completion of the temporary facility is critical to ensure the site is ready for occupancy before demolition of the existing Fire Station No. 1 begins,” the staff memo says.
Why the project needs more money
The design is finished, and the contractor prices are in. Staff now put the total project cost at $561,350, including a 10% owner’s contingency.
The project budget has $262,401.50 left. That leaves a gap of $298,948.50, which the $300,000 transfer would cover. The memo says the money comes from balances on completed projects, so no new transfer from the general fund is needed.
The lease, and the fire trucks
The council approved a lease with JAT Partners LLC for the Roswell Road property on March 17. The city signed the two-year lease on May 1, the memo says. Rent is $18,000 a month, or $216,000 a year.
That rent was not in the adopted budget for the 2027 fiscal year. Interim Fire Chief Jesse Bernard’s memo says the money can come from a line set aside for one aerial truck and one engine. Under the final financing terms with PNC and Pierce Manufacturing, the first annual payment on those trucks is not due until a year after the lease starts. So no truck payment falls in this fiscal year.
The memo says the change does not raise the city’s total budget.
The new station
The city’s project page describes a two-story station of about 24,000 square feet on the Spalding Drive site. It lists:
- several apparatus bays
- decontamination and gear storage areas
- training and conference space
- fitness facilities and living quarters for 24-hour staffing
- new parking, stormwater infrastructure and emergency vehicle access
The city says the station serves as one of the fire department’s primary response locations.
Also on Tuesday’s agenda
Election Day is a busy one at City Hall:
- Property tax rate. The second hearing on the 2026 rate is at 8:30 a.m. at City Hall. The third hearing and the vote to adopt the rate follow at the 6 p.m. meeting. The proposed ordinance keeps the city’s rate at 4.731 mills. Our story on the property tax hearings explains what that means for your bill.
- A new 311 and service request system. Staff recommend replacing Lucity, the city’s work order software, with a Salesforce platform. It would include a resident portal and automatic updates on service requests. The first year would cost $932,583: $220,833 in licenses through Carahsoft Technology and $711,750 for setup by StackNexus. Staff put the five-year cost at $1,931,993 and the setup time at nine months.
What it means for you
- Fire service does not stop. The temporary station exists so the area around Spalding Drive keeps fire and emergency medical coverage while the new station is built.
- Call 911 as always. Nothing changes in how you reach the fire department.
- You can speak Tuesday. The council takes public comment at the start of the 6 p.m. meeting. The city’s public comment form is linked from the agenda.
- You are voting that day too. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. See our Election Day guide for where and how.
For other fire department news, see our Police and Fire log.
Frequently asked questions
Where will Sandy Springs Fire Station 1 move during construction?
To a leased building at 8615 Roswell Road. The city signed a two-year lease for it on May 1, 2026, at $18,000 a month, after the City Council approved the lease March 17.
How much will the temporary fire station cost?
City staff put the build-out at $561,350, including a 10% contingency. The recommended construction contract, to F.H. Paschen, S.N. Nielsen & Associates, is $515,000. The lease is $216,000 a year.
When will the new Fire Station 1 be built?
The city’s project page says construction of the new station at 1425 Spalding Drive is scheduled to begin in winter 2027. The temporary station has to be ready before the old one is demolished.
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