Brimfield plans new fire department, raises safety and cost concerns
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Brimfield Township residents discussed a new fire station at last night’s town hall meeting.
Though many admitted the fire department is in need of a new facility, the likely location is stirring up controversy.
TV2’s Kaitlynn LeBeau has more on the citizens’ concerns.
“This is going to impact every one of you,” Brimfield Township Trustee Mike Kostensky told residents at Wednesday’s Town Hall meeting. “Whether we go forward or we don’t, it’s going to involve a bond issue.”
Brimfield Township trustees are asking residents to weigh in on plans for a new fire station.
The cost of the new property has residents on edge – $385,000 for 1.7 acres of undeveloped land on Kelso Drive by Brimfield Plaza.
The location is the front-runner of three sites suggested by local architecture firm David Sommers and Associates in a needs assessment. Closeness to the current fire station and accessibility of utility hookups make it the trustees’ number one choice.
Multiple residents at the meeting also said the site poses a safety issue. In addition to being located across from Kids Kare Daycare, residents said the station would be too close to school traffic coming in and out of Brimfield Elementary. The school district is trying to pass a levy to provide bussing. In the mean time, parents line up on Kelso Drive to pick up and drop off their children.
The current fire station shares a home with Town Hall, which Brimfield Fire Chief Robert Keller said is a security issue with residents able to walk in and out of the building.
In addition to needing a more secure facility, Keller said a new station will fit the needs of his department which has expanded over the last few decades. The plans include a modern facility with more space for living quarters and a garage with enough room for a new ladder truck.
“We’ve looked at all aspects. You know, the fact that we’re a full-time department, the fact that we run EMS today, that we didn’t when the most recent station was built in 1970. The fact that the living quarters are in a 1934 vintage building and in a basement no less,” Keller said. “So we just want to modernize and you know, have our station all on one level so that we can provide the best service possible for the community.”
Township trustees signed a purchase agreement for the land on Kelso Drive in October of 2013. Keller said the fire department has been involved in a needs assessment for the last five years. However, the department willingly took a backseat, Keller said, until the police department passed an EMS operating levy earlier this year.
The fire department currently has a full-time crew of 14 and seven vehicles for fire and EMS.
Residents also voiced concern about the time of the day Brimfield Township holds trustee meetings. Regular session trustee meetings are typically on Wednesdays at 3 p.m., in the middle of the work day. In response to the concern, the trustees will hold an evening meeting on December 9th at 7 p.m. to allow more people to attend and share their opinions.
Download the meeting minutes here.
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Township trustees have already signed a purchase agreement for the Kelso Drive property.
However they said they will continue to hear the residents out and include their opinions in the decision-making process.
