Training center plans advance

8/10/2005

FINDLAY - Come spring, emergency responders should be able to begin conducting training exercises in a new area at Owens Community College.

The college's board of trustees yesterday approved awarding more than $2 million in contracts to three separate companies to start work on the second phase of its Fire and Police Training Center for Emergency Preparedness.

The center, which was announced last year, is on the Perrysburg Township campus.

The upcoming work includes the construction of a five-story burn building and fire tower, a gas station, a railroad tank car fire trainer, and a flashover trainer, among other additions.

The contracts awarded were to Comte Construction of Toledo for $2.17 million; Helm and Associations Inc. of Maumee for $61,300 in plumbing work, and Brint Electric Inc. of Toledo for $68,085 in electrical work.

Charles Mann, senior vice president of business affairs at Owens, told the trustees the bulk of the upcoming phase will be funded through state capital appropriations.

He said he's hopeful some of the center will be in use in the spring.

In other action, the trustees approved hiring Jennifer Fehnrich, the college's former director of public relations and marketing, as special assistant to the president for government relations.

She replaces Chris Baldwin, who resigned so he could pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Michigan.

Ms. Fehnrich will be paid $70,000 annually.