First look at station location

At a March 4 special city council meeting, members of the committee planning Blaine’s new fire station will present the three site options they have evaluated and their pick for the best spot.

Mike Campbell, chief of fire district #13 said they had looked at cost and location for sites on Odell Road across from the Geographics building, behind Cost Cutter and in Blaine Business Park on Sweet Road.

Key considerations were how long it would take Blaine volunteers to get to the station and how long it would then take emergency response and fire teams to get to a call. “Of particular concern was access to the H Street area,” Campbell said. He added they also felt building a fire station on land available for retail and industrial development would take good sites away from business.

Campbell said the Odell Road site met all their requirements and also cost less, so they were presenting it as their top option. “We were suprised by the costs,” he said. Prices ranged from under a dollar per square foot on Odell Road to $8 per square foot behind Cost Cutter.
Once the site is approved by council, Campbell said they will continue to work with the architect on final station design. Meanwhile, the city finance department is working on issuing bonds to fund fire station construction. At the February 25 city council meeting, finance director Meredith Riley said she expected the city would have the $1.6 million in hand by April 10.

Also on the agenda for the March 4 meeting are interviews and appointment of new members of the planning commission. ..
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