Eden's new fire station is to be built on a block of land that was owned by former fire captain Zlatko Nemec and his wife Violette.
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The Magnet reported on June 8 that Mr Nemec has been stood down from his position, with Fire and Rescue NSW head office in Sydney refusing to comment on what it said was an internal employment-related matter.
It can now be revealed that FRNSW bought the 2431sqm parcel of industrial land at 44 Hopkins St, Eden, from the Nemecs for $250,000, with settlement taking place on February 24 this year.
Office of State Revenue transfer documents sighted by the Magnet this week listed the owners of the land as Zlatko and Violette Nemec; with the purchaser being the Minister for Emergency Services (Fire and Rescue NSW).
The new fire station was announced in the 2016-17 NSW budget by then Treasurer Gladys Berejiklian.
Bega MP Andrew Constance said the new station would cost more than $1million, and that the $250,000 allocated in 2016-17 budget would “get it off the ground”.
He committed a further $120,000 to the project in the 2017-18 budget handed down on Tuesday.
It was reported at the time that it had been a year since the poor facilities at the fire station had attracted Mr Constance’s attention, with the station’s superintendent and retained firefighters saying it failed to meet the needs of a modern fire station.
According to FRNSW, selection of the site was carried out in accordance with Property NSW guidelines, which require an independent valuation to validate purchase price and FRNSW criteria.
“Selection criteria for the required site was distributed to three real estate agents in Eden and Bega Valley Shire Council in August 2016,” a Fire and Rescue NSW spokeswoman said this week.
“As a result, nine potential properties were identified by these nominated parties for inspection.”
FRNSW received a declaration of interest from one of the people involved in the selection process and this person was excluded from any further involvement, she said. The person was not named.
FRNSW’s area commander, zone commander and director of property recommended the purchase of the Hopkins St block, she said, adding that the site was deemed to be the most suitable on the basis of location, size, sealed road access, frontage and land quality.