Seeking best response times, Jupiter chooses Cinquez Park for western fire station

JUPITER — The town aims to build a fire station at Cinquez Park to serve its western neighborhoods.

The Town Council approved using the park, along Indiantown Road near Center Street, for its new fire department when it met on Tuesday, May 21.

Other sites it had considered for the western fire station included Indian Creek Park off Central Boulevard, about 2 miles south of Cinquez; Maplewood Park off Toney Penna Drive, about 1 mile south; and some privately owned properties.

Its staff chose Cinquez because they say it will allow the fastest response times to areas with the most demand. The staff estimates its mean travel time to be 15 seconds fewer than Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Station 19 along Central Boulevard, which the park is about a mile east from the Cinquez site.

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Cinquez Park's trails, dog area will remain after fire station is built

Cinquez Park spans 13 acres and has walking trails, a lake and a dog park, all of which would stay when the fire station is built, Jupiter officials said.

The station would take up fewer than 3 acres on the southwest end of the park, near Carver Avenue and Indiantown Road, and lie east of a large banyan tree. Darrel Donatto, the town’s fire chief, estimates that 12 trips a day will come from the station when it opens in the spring of 2026.

The town anticipates needing three fire stations when it launches service of its new fire department by Oct. 1, 2026.

It already secured Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Station 16 on Military Trail in Abacoa in an earlier agreement with the county and is considering building another at Piatt Place, a 5-acre plot along U.S. 1 north of Harbourside Place.

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If built, the station at Piatt Place would stand across the street from Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Station 18, which the county denied the town’s request to buy or rent.

The town will pay nearly $250,000 to Wantman Group, a West Palm Beach-based engineering firm, to begin creating plans to build the station at Cinquez Park. The town’s planning board and council will vote on site plans in the summer.

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Residents cite worries over traffic, noise from Cinquez Park fire station

Council members waded through residents’ concerns over traffic, which is often heavy along Indiantown, and noise that could impact the park’s neighbors, visitors and their dogs.

“If I took my dog there and a fire truck blew its horn, my dog would probably break her leash and run,” said Karen Benson, who lives about a mile east of the park.

To address traffic, Donatto said the town will use a traffic preemption system, which would change traffic lights to green ahead of fire trucks.

Some who spoke against the station also opposed creating the new department altogether and spoke at multiple other meetings, urging the town to continue its contract with Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. A few laughed when Donatto said the station would offer service “equal to or better than the current service provider.”

Cameron May, the lone council member to vote against the creation of the fire department, sided with the concerns and voted the new station down.

“I wish we had more time to look at other sites because I think if we went a little west … it would reduce response times,” said May, who is a Palm Beach County firefighter.

May said when he responds to the area while he is on the job, he takes routes to avoid Indiantown Road when traffic is at gridlock.

“Indiantown Road gets that backed up that I know that even while running lights and sirens, I’m not going anywhere,” May said.

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Before voting against the station plans, he said the sound of sirens and horns would disrupt the park's peacefulness.

Other council members said they support the site because they trust the town staff’s analysis. Council member Ron Delaney tried to quell rumors circulating saying the town will destroy Cinquez Park.

“That park would get bulldozed over my dead body,” Delaney said. “I’ve had it with all of the rumors going around. I’m over the negativity, the lies and the innuendos about backroom deals and corruption.”

Jupiter launched Fire Rescue Department nearly a year ago

The Town Council decided in August 2023 to break off Jupiter's 40-year relationship with Palm Beach County Fire Rescue and start its own fire department, citing concerns about rising costs, changing fee structures and controlling how its tax dollars are spent.

Ever since, speakers in matching white T-shirts have railed against the move at Town Council meetings, asking Jupiter to stop allocating money toward the department and to let voters decide.

Some residents support a political action committee that garnered 5,560 signatures of residents on a petition for a ballot question that would let voters, not the council, decide the fire department future. A judge has not yet ruled on the legality of the question.

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Maya Washburn covers northern Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida-Network. Reach her at mwashburn@pbpost.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Jupiter Town Council approves fire station at Cinquez Park