[quote=sdrealtor]CE
That fire station is in Fairbanks far outside the view of the covenant and it’s keepers. Nothing in the area looks anything like it. There are fruit stands around the corner operating like my daughters occasional forray into lemonade sales.
I’m not calling out union corruption on this. I have no idea whether there was any or if union labor was even involved. This is an obscene waste of public monies. It’s not just the tax dollars either. The developer fees could have been used for a lot of things other than ornate stone work that adds nothing other than making the building stand out as a monument to excess.[/quote]
Take a look at Google maps, then tell us that it “doesn’t fit the neighborhood.” What you see directly on the street doesn’t necessarily tell the whole picture. Much of the development in that area came about well after the original fire station and Helen Woodward facility were built. The HOAs regularly update their design specifications.
You do realize that Fairbanks Ranch and the other HOAs in the area also have strict design restrictions, right?
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“The building was designed to fit in with the surrounding community, said Michel, and includes cut stone on its outer façade, along with ornamentation that appears to be made of painted wood but is in fact lightweight foam.
While he has heard some comments about the size of the building, Michel said the new station was designed as a two-story structure so that fire trucks and ambulances can exit and enter safely and efficiently.”
Again, like I’ve mentioned in the other thread, I don’t favor high-end public buildings at all, and feel that there is a political component whenever things are over-the-top. Just saying that it has nothing to do with the “boots on the ground” public sector workers who are always being blamed for things they were never involved with, including pension allocations, the decision to take “pension holidays,” coming up with assumed rates of returns and contribution amounts, etc. Why is it that these employees are being vilified, while the ones who are responsible for the problems — who come from both the public and PRIVATE sectors — seem to slip under the radar? Could it be that those who are responsible for the problems — and who are more powerful — want it that way?
