Proposed New Fire Station

New Fire Station Needed

On November 3 Issue #32, a 20-year .84-mill bond issue, will be on the ballot for consideration. This levy is needed to build/relocate a new headquarters fire station which will replace fire station #1 on Avon Belden Road. If approved, homeowners would see an increase in property taxes of about $30 a year per $100,000 of home valuation.

 

History and Challenges Related to Fire Station #1:

• Fire Station #1 was built in 1957 for an all-volunteer fire force serving less than 8,000 residents. In 1967 the department began full-time staffing and in 1981 an addition was added, but still left the station inadequate. More than fifty years later, the station is now serving nearly 32,000 residents.
• Fire Station #1 is the only full-time fire station in Northeast Ohio that is utilizing a mobile home for living space.
• The current station is undersized and has inadequate restroom facilities for the number of staff.
• Firefighter turnout gear storage is non-existent and the station is lacking apparatus space which leaves expensive equipment outside in the weather.
• The station is located 200 feet from one of the city’s busiest intersections with no traffic control devices in place for access/exit from the station.
• The current location is not conducive with the continued growth of the city.
• Fire prevention and training offices are non-existent and the current classroom is makeshift and significantly undersized.
• The station lacks a clean room for medical supplies and equipment, a decontamination room to clean dirty medical equipment and an adequate location to service and fill self-contained breathing apparatus.

Knowing that any replacement for this 58 year-old station needs to be built to last 30 to 50 years into the future, Fire Chief John Reese presented to City Council and Administration a study and plan completed by the Columbus-based architectural firm of Mull and Weithman. The proposed new headquarters fire station would be 22,594 square feet and would cost an estimated $8.2 million including construction, land acquisition, furniture and equipment and construction contingencies. The relocation of the fire station will also decrease overall average response times and provide for increased safety and efficiency.

 

If you have any questions or would like to see the study and plan, please contact Fire Chief John Reese at (440) 327-5311.