If you visit our Times online site, it is not uncommon to see a post from Monroe Fire Chief Daryl Rausch, answering questions from readers about his department in general or about the proposed second fire station in specific. Chief Rausch is respectful and informative in his responses, which are a public service and a nice touch from a city administrator.
There have been plenty of questions and comments lately about a second fire station, a topic that has returned to the front burner at City Hall. On Monday, the Monroe Common Council voted 8-1 to authorize Rausch to seek bids for the first phase of construction on a west-side facility. The project is proposed to cost $800,000 and would be located in the Honey Creek Industrial Park. The first phase includes site preparation, a steel building, driveway and utilities.
The council has not yet committed to spending on the project. That decision will be made when the bids come in. If it moves forward, the city likely will bond and finance the fire station construction with the 8th/9th Street project. That makes sense, as it will save the city money by combining the two projects.
A majority of the council seems to support building a second fire station. It is difficult to gauge how the public feels about it.
The purpose for a second station seems reasonable, to reduce what have become increasingly unacceptable response times to west-side addresses. With much of the community's growth occurring on the west-side, shortening response times becomes even more important.
In public meetings and online, Rausch has made a strong case for the need for a second fire station and addressed some of the questions that citizens still have. But perhaps what would be helpful at this point in the process would be for the city to have a public informational meeting about the proposal. In it, Rausch could restate the reasons for a second facility, go over the details of the plan and the alternatives that have been considered. He could answer any questions that members of the public, or the council, might have. That would provide the public a comprehensive look at the proposal, and an opportunity to provide input to aldermen before they make a final decision on the fire station.
There have been plenty of questions and comments lately about a second fire station, a topic that has returned to the front burner at City Hall. On Monday, the Monroe Common Council voted 8-1 to authorize Rausch to seek bids for the first phase of construction on a west-side facility. The project is proposed to cost $800,000 and would be located in the Honey Creek Industrial Park. The first phase includes site preparation, a steel building, driveway and utilities.
The council has not yet committed to spending on the project. That decision will be made when the bids come in. If it moves forward, the city likely will bond and finance the fire station construction with the 8th/9th Street project. That makes sense, as it will save the city money by combining the two projects.
A majority of the council seems to support building a second fire station. It is difficult to gauge how the public feels about it.
The purpose for a second station seems reasonable, to reduce what have become increasingly unacceptable response times to west-side addresses. With much of the community's growth occurring on the west-side, shortening response times becomes even more important.
In public meetings and online, Rausch has made a strong case for the need for a second fire station and addressed some of the questions that citizens still have. But perhaps what would be helpful at this point in the process would be for the city to have a public informational meeting about the proposal. In it, Rausch could restate the reasons for a second facility, go over the details of the plan and the alternatives that have been considered. He could answer any questions that members of the public, or the council, might have. That would provide the public a comprehensive look at the proposal, and an opportunity to provide input to aldermen before they make a final decision on the fire station.
