Fire Chief Fred Cheshire said he prefers using a lot next to the
Briggs Building parking garage as a temporary station because it
would keep it centrally located in the downtown area while the
chosen property also would allow a smooth transition with
information technology issues.
Fire Chief Fred Cheshire said he prefers using a lot next to the Briggs Building parking garage as a temporary station because it would keep it centrally located in the downtown area while the chosen property also would allow a smooth transition with information technology issues.
Cheshire spoke to the Free Lance on Monday, before council members at their subsequent meeting were set to consider allocating $60,000 toward a year’s rent at the 375 Fourth St. property – next to the parking garage – owned by the Greenwood vehicle dealership.
City officials are considering the possibility of leasing the lot as a temporary fire station during reconstruction at the 110 Fifth St. location.
The $60,000 cost to lease the parking lot, meanwhile, does not include an unknown level of funds needed for other accommodations such as living quarters, Cheshire acknowledged.
He said officials had considered a couple of other locations for the temporary space, both privately owned, but that the preferred lot worked best, particularly due to the I.T. issues.
“This is the one that did standout, and probably one of the deciding factors was because of the I.T. issues we were going to need,” the chief said, noting how fire captains must have the capability of filing electronic reports on site.
Even with an approval Monday night, some remaining details still must be figured out. Cheshire said officials had looked into costs for mobile housing, which likely would include some sort of set-up and monthly fees with a contractor. Housing is necessary due to the shifts being 24 hours and firefighters needing shower facilities in the case of contact with hazardous materials.
The city has started work on plans for the $5 million reconstruction of the downtown fire station at 110 Fifth St. Planners are in the design phase right now, with WLC Architects doing the work.
