 Alderwoman Kathy Horn turned the floor over to Lincoln Fire
Department Chief Kent Hulett, who explained that he was seeking
direction from the council on what they might want to pursue in
regard to remodeling and adding on to the current fire station or
building a new station in a new location.He offered them a
handout that included some articles on the grant that he hopes to
apply for, along with a pro and con list for three construction
options.
Hulett said that the federal grant he will apply for will not
cover land purchase, but that there is a law on the governor's desk
now that would allow for zero-interest loans for fire stations, or a
bond referendum could be issued by the city.
He also said there will be approximately 8,000 to 10,000
applications for this grant, but he is of the understanding
that if the city can show that they meet the shovel-ready conditions
of the grant, which include having a location, a plan, additional
funding and proper zoning, they would be more apt to get the
award. Other criteria for the grant include a higher-than-average
unemployment rate in the city and consideration of the percentage of
residences that are at or below poverty-level income.
Hulett said that applying for the grant and winning the award
does not mean the city would have to take the money. The grant would
come to the city with "strings attached," and the council would have
the option to decline, if those strings were not in the best
interest of Lincoln.
Right now what the chief wants is permission to go forward with
the application, and as much input on what he should apply for as
the council members can give.
If a new station is to be built, he said that it could offer
other opportunities for the community, such as a large training area
that could be used by other parties and could double as an emergency
shelter, such as a cooling station in extremely hot weather, a place
to bring folks for protection from severe weather or a shelter for
travelers off the interstate who have to stop due to hazardous
weather.
Hulett said that as an emergency shelter the station would also
need its own generator for power outages, and it would be good to
have a couple of separate showers so that those who were stranded
would have reasonable accommodations.
In addition to the building grant, Dan Fulscher of the Logan
County Emergency Management Agency and ETSB will assist the chief in
applying for a grant from the Department of Justice for technology
upgrades for whatever plan the city goes with.
Robert Shattuck and Joe Petty of J.H. Petty & Associates were
there to guide the discussion by offering three options on how to
approach the problem of an aging and inadequate fire station.
Shattuck opened by saying that as a citizen of Lincoln, this was
a very important issue to him, and that he appreciated the city
allowing J.H. Petty to be involved with this process. He introduced
Petty and then proceeded to discuss the history of the Lincoln Fire
Department.
The city fire department began in 1850 as a volunteer unit. The
firefighters were paid 5 cents if they fought a fire and fined 25
cents if they did not.
Around 1912 a full-time fire department was created for the city.
This fire station, built in 1895 at a cost of $19,000, is the
oldest still functioning firefighting facility in the state of
Illinois.
Shattuck said: "We believe in historic preservation. We like to
take care of these places. Historic structures such as City Hall and
the Logan County Courthouse give the residents of our community a
sense of stability, identity and a huge source of civic pride."
Shattuck took the committees through the pros and cons of the
three options.
For the concept of remodeling and expanding the current facility,
the pros were that the facility already exists, and it is paid for.
Cons include the following: overhead doors not tall enough, no
vehicle exhaust system, no decontamination room for firefighters, no
gender-specific dorms, no fire sprinkler system in the building,
structural concerns regarding the slab flooring and the weight of
the modern equipment, and the existing structure is not fireproof.
He said the national standard for response time when the
fire alarms sound is that 80 percent of the time the department
should be on the scene within four minutes. He added that in many
cases, when called to the west end of town, response time is going
as long as eight minutes.
Shattuck said that this was a very important factor to take into
consideration when looking at the options available.
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Pros and cons for a new structure in a different location included,
on the pro side, better response times, a community weather shelter,
additional space afforded to City Hall when the fire department
exits the current building, and all firefighting equipment and
apparatus would be in one location.
Cons included that the city would have to purchase land for the
facility and fund
the purchase without the grant; zoning issues would have
to be addressed; and at a cost of $145 to $175 per square foot, the
cost of a 16,000-square-foot facility would run around $2,800,000.
The third option presented was a new, strategically located
joint-use fire and police safety complex.
The pros for this option included better response times with a
new location, weather shelter, public use areas, greater security
for City Hall and a savings of approximately $30,000 per year in
rent paid to the county for the police department being located in
their safety complex.
Among the cons on this option was that the grant being sought
would not cover the cost of the square footage designated for the
police department.
When Shattuck wrapped up his presentation, there were a good many
concerns and questions from the council.
Alderwoman Melody Anderson wanted to know how much space the
police would need and what the added cost would be. Deputy Chief
Mike Geriets responded that the police department hasn't been
involved in this plan until recently, and he doesn't really know how
much space they would need. The police department currently occupies
about 2,000 square feet at the safety complex, and they are very
cramped.
It was suggested that perhaps as much as 5,000 square feet would
be needed by the police department.
Alderman Buzz Busby said that he is still very interested in
having a new complex built at the site of the old Chevrolet garage
downtown, which is already owned by the city.
He said that the city of Pontiac has the same growth situation as
Lincoln. That town has expanded to the west only and also has the
railroad running through the downtown area. Pontiac chose to keep
its new fire station in the heart of the town and has done fine
with it.
Alderman David Wilmert said that given the July 10 deadline for the grant
application, he feels like the city should
opt to go with a fire station only, with intent of adding on to the
facility later to accommodate the police force.
He felt this would be the best because there is not sufficient
time to determine what might be needed for the police side of a
complex.
Also it was brought up that there might be a similar grant for
police stations. No one knew whether or not that could
be the case, but it will be looked into, as there are a number of
grants becoming available as a result of the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act.
Questions were also brought up as to the safest building
materials. Alderwoman Joni Tibbs said there were safety
mandates coming down the line that could do away with brick and
mortar construction. Joe Petty explained that this was a new rule
concerning building classifications.
Buildings will be classified according to safety issues,
including but not limited to seismic activity, and construction
materials for the buildings are chosen accordingly.
Shattuck added that another factor that would be considered in
choosing materials was location. The new fire station would be
designed to blend in with its surroundings, so the building could
look very industrial in a business district or very urban in a
residential area.
The meeting adjourned with the chief knowing that the council is
in favor of a new fire station. Location is something that will need
to be determined at a later date, and the prospects of building a
complex to include the city police department can also be decided
upon later.
The firefighter union will also be assisting free of charge in
this project. They plan to provide experts to help determine the
best strategic location for a new station.
[By NILA SMITH] |
