At an Oct. 20 meeting, council heard an update on the proposed eight-year Fire Master Plan, which also calls for renovations to an existing station and additions to staffing and equipment.
Fire Chief Curtis Poovey presented revisions to the original plan to address concerns about its extended timeline, previously set to conclude by 2036.
Under the revised timeline, the new fire station will be included in the city’s potential 2026 bond election and is set to open by 2033, rather than 2035.
Diving deeper
The revised Master Plan is estimated to cost a total of $55.82 million and spread out from late 2025-2033, according to Poovey’s presentation.
The initiatives proposed in the plan include:
- Acquiring a new truck for Fire Station No. 3
- Acquiring an additional ambulance to help cover the downtown area
- Building the city’s seventh fire station and hiring personnel for it
- Building an apparatus storage and repair center
- Remodeling Fire Station No. 6
- Hiring new EMS captains, incident safety officers and battalion chiefs
Additionally, council member Jennifer Justice emphasized the need to discuss additional costs associated with the plan’s initiatives.
“There’s quite a substantial amount of operation cost that comes with this plan, which is understandable,” Justice said. “We need the personnel, but there are broader implications I think that we should be discussing.”
What’s next
Council is set to discuss the adoption of the Fire Master Plan at the meeting on Nov. 10.
The last day to call a bond for the May 2026 election is Feb. 9.
