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From monroenews.com...
Ida approves fire hall plan - 01/8/2003
The township will undertake nearly $300,000 in renovations to the fire hall. By IAN C. STOREY IDA TOWNSHIP -- Faced with a sea of Ida Township Volunteer Fire Department jackets Tuesday night, the township board voted to reverse a month-old course and approved unanimously plans for nearly $300,000 in renovations to the fire hall. A crowd of firefighters, their family members and residents expressed concern and anger over plans proposed by the board at a special Dec. 10 meeting to scrap plans to renovate the township's aging fire hall, deciding instead to vacate the hall completely and include space for new township offices in plans for the new Ida Branch Library, which voters approved in August with a five-year, .5-mill tax. According to Supervisor Larry Metz, the Dec. 10 plan was proposed because bids from contractors for the fire hall renovations came in well over the $220,000 the township was willing to spend on the project from its general fund. As an alternative, officials felt that giving the entire fire hall to the department would alleviate space concerns. But fire department officials blasted the plan, citing office space concerns as the least of its problems. Firefighters said the reason they approved the original renovation plans was to make room for much needed shower facilities and special washing and drying machines to clean turnout gear to meet state guidelines. Firefighters also argued that the fire barn needed to be expanded to accommodate equipment and vehicles, some of which barely fit into the hall's bays. Now, the plan to build a new township hall and library complex, which was to go out for bidding and was projected to begin in April with a design that was being prepared by David Arthur Consultants, is "dead in water," according to Mr. Metz. At the beginning of Tuesday's marathon meeting, the supervisor expressed concern over reaction and anger that had come in light of the decision that he and other board members thought would benefit the department and the township as a whole. "How did we have such a total lack of communication in three weeks?" Mr. Metz asked. "If we ever get along, we have to get along better than that. I've tried to work with the firefighters on this issue. This is what the board thought you wanted when we had our last meeting. If I missed it, I missed it, and I'll take the hit for that. "There is no bigger supporter of the fire department than I am. You folks have been out for my family different times. I'm trying to work with you. There was a vote on this, and it was voted down," he said. Capt. Randy Stanifer, serving as a spokesman for the other firefighters, said the issue of updating the fire facility had been ignored by a variety of township officials over the last decade or more. "We decided on the renovation plans and voted as a department to support it, and a week later we see it in the paper that instead you are going to build a township hall," he said. "That is why we are here tonight and are upset about it. What we want today is the same thing we wanted 10 years ago: the health and safety issues resolved. We're not looking for office space and we are not looking for a new fire hall. We are looking to have the health and safety issues of this present hall taken care of." Township officials presented other alternatives to the renovation of the fire hall, including the immediate addition of a shower and laundry, but in the end firefighters said the best plan to ensure fire protection in the community was to go forward with what was originally proposed. During a meeting recess, the majority of the firefighters voted for the second time to approve the original renovation plans. The board and firefighters also discussed the possibility pursuing a millage in the future for construction purposes. The fire department fund has a balance of about $149,170, but those funds are legally earmarked for equipment purchases only, including a new rescue truck Chief Ed Wertenberger said would be purchased in the spring. "When we come for something we need equipment-wise, we get it," he said. "I have already told the board about the need for the new truck, and the money from the millage we have will be used to buy a new rescue truck and equipment. That is what that money is goes for." For residents like Lee Ringel, who has lived in Ida since 1955, paying $80,000 more for the renovations than was originally allocated is a small price to pay for a fire department that each year is responding to more and more calls. In 2002, the department responded 312 times, and officials only expect that to increase. "I would pay extra taxes and support a millage if I had to make sure these guys get what they need and make sure they and the families they protect are safe," said Mr. Ringel. "If they want the renovation, give them the renovation. I favor a new fire hall and the renovation of this building into a library and offices, but either way we need to support them." The board approved the bid of Wilson Builders of Toledo, with a price tag of approximately $291,900 for the renovation, but the agreement has yet to be set in stone since the bid's 45-day lifespan expired before being approved by the board. Mr. Metz said this morning that the contractor would be contacted and he hopes would honor the bid. Although the board and the fire department solved the issue of renovating the Fire Hall, it was out of the pot and into the fire for township officials as firefighters voiced strong opposition over the proposed location of the new library. The township board has scheduled a special meeting at 7 p.m. Monday to hear concerns about the location of the new library raised by members of the Ida Township Volunteer Fire Department, who contend that their fundraising abilities will be hurt if the site plan remains. According to Capt. Randy Stanifer, the proposed library location next to Firemen's Park in Ida will take away from the department's ability to host events to raise funds at its homecoming and bingo facilities. "By building there you are taking away four buildings we use to raise money and we are getting nothing in return," he said. "The location is just terrible. I think there are other options out there and they should be looked at. ... There are plenty of options that the fire department could come up with for that library without moving it more than a 100 feet anywhere." According to Supervisor Larry Metz, several factors play into locating the new library on the township-owned property next to the fire department's park, including zoning and setback issues and the existence of electric power lines and a fiber optic cable. ‘I will listen to you, but we have few options from where it is planned to be," Mr._Metz said. "We can offer you other places to hold your fundraising events."