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STEUBENVILLE -- City officials are hoping to replace two outmoded fire stations with just one new, well-thought-out building in downtown Steubenville, though exactly where that would be is still up in the air.
If it happens, Fire Chief Joe Ribar told council they'd close the Pleasant Heights and headquarters buildings permanently. The West End station would remain in service.
"Those two stations (Pleasant Heights and headquarters) are aging and were not built for today's fire service, such as vehicles, equipment and staffing," Ribar said after the meeting. "And we obviously will never be able to afford to fund and build two new fire houses, so combining them into one is our best option."
He said they're currently keying on four parcels--a vacant lot across from the SVRTA terminal on Adams Street, the old Grant School location on S. 4th Street, parcels adjacent to the city building currently in use for parking and city-owned land on South Street--as potential locations for the new station.
They'll need about an acre if they're to build.
"Other locations may be considered," City Manager Mike Johnson said. "If the site is not already owned by the city, it is hoped all parties are reasonable and can reach an agreement, but the city reserves its right to obtain any desirable site location via eminent domain."
Johnson said neither Pleasant Heights nor the headquarters building provide the "safe, modern, and functional environment firefighters need to protect themselves while protecting the community."
"The current downtown and Pleasant Heights fire stations do not adequately support today’s safety standards, modern equipment, or the needs of our increasingly diverse workforce, including female firefighters," he said. "Replacing these stations is not about building something bigger or more attractive. It is about protecting the lives, health, and dignity of the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our community every day. If we expect our firefighters to enter burning buildings, face dangerous situations, and put their lives on the line for our community, shouldn’t we provide them with a fire station that protects them, too?"
Johnson said the city's existing hundred-year-old stations lack modern safety features–proper ventilation, contamination-control areas, and equipment storage designed to reduce firefighters’ exposure to cancer-causing toxins and other occupational hazards--as well as accommodations for female firefighters.
"The current stations were built in a different era and do not adequately accommodate today’s workforce," Johnson said. "Female firefighters deserve appropriate locker rooms, private restrooms, sleeping quarters, and changing facilities that provide privacy, dignity, and equal working conditions."
He also pointed out firefighting equipment, protective gear, vehicles, and technology today "require space and infrastructure that a 100-year-old building do not provide."
"Modern stations can incorporate designated decontamination areas, clean and dirty zones, improved air quality, and facilities that support firefighters’ physical and mental well-being," Johnson said, adding that a modern fire station "is an investment in the community’s ability to receive timely, effective emergency services for generations to come."
Preliminary design plans and official cost estimates are due from the architect by Nov. 24. For now, their best guess is that it would cost between $8 million and $10 million to build a new station and since the city doesn't have the cash flow to self-fund construction, they'd have to either increase the city income tax rate or pursue a property tax levy.
"I understand that nobody likes to pay taxes,"Johnson said. "(But) for a home valued at $100,000, the property tax increase would be about $8 a month. That is a small price to pay to upgrade our facilities in order to protect our firefighters and provide them with the necessary tools to continue to deliver life-saving services to the public for years to come."
Ribar said one of the most challenging pieces of the puzzle so far has been "finding the property that best suits our response times."
"With the locations that were available, the areas that we picked give us the best access to both ends of town, including Lincoln Heights as we as both hilltops," he said, adding that while current staffing and equipment would be maintained, replacing the two older buildings with a brand new station would save them a lot on building maintenance and utilities. "We also currently rent a garage where we store spare vehicles that would no loner be needed as the new station would house everything together," he said.
Johnson, meanwhile, said the city should bank Ascent's $822,000-plus signing allowance within the next two weeks. That's lower than the $1 million they'd originally expected because Ascent is withholding payment for about 25-acres in Beatty Park due to a mineral reservation dating to the 1850s.
"The city is not receiving payment for 25.39 acres in (the park) due to the potential mineral reservation," he said. "(We) may have a potential claim on those acres under the Ohio Dormant Minerals Act or the Ohio Remarkable Title Act. The first step in making claim (to it) starts with title work on the 25 acres."
Johnson said it could cost $10,000 to $15,000 for the title work, though the final cost would depend in large part on how many heirs are discovered. He said it's a worthwhile investment since those 25 acres represent about $175,000 in signing money. He recommended council set aside at least $15,000 for the title work so they can find out if it would, in fact, make sense to lay claim to the rights.
"I think it's worth at least pursuing the first step and then, depending on that, we can decide whether we have a good claim or not or if there's a thousand people that you're going to have to (deal with) because it gets more expensive if you have to take them all to court."
The city, he told council, "will have to do the title work to find out who all has (claim to it)."