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LFP Fire Station - New Cost
Three Rivers Area • Mar 16, 2008 2:16 PM
Lockport, although I have missed some meetings due to work, I don't remember you being the voice that says the township voters all want the houses. I've talked to numerous people in the township who still have said they don't want the houses. But, while were on the discussion of the building and houses, let's talk about the building and the houses. Recently it was stated in the newspaper about all the townships putting in 500,000 dollars each toward the fire station. Let's take a moment to due the math. If originally each township was to put in 900,000 dollars each (which makes 2.7 million) and now we are to put in 500,000 dollars each (which makes 1.5 million), that make a difference of 1.2 milliion dollars (if my math is correct). Either the total cost of the houses is higher than mentioned or there is approximately 600-700,000 dollars that was still to go to the cost of the building (assuming the cost of each house is 150,000 dollars each). It has also been stated in meetings, that in leiu of paying for a full time department, that the cost of the houses would be paid in full in three years. So my question would be after three years when the houses were paid off, aren't we paying in theory for a full time department with the personnel living in the houses. I don't believe I have to go into the discussion of location due to the coverage it has generated within this forum with the increased traffic flow (especially with menards coming)and the further response to park and lockport townships (no matter how you do the math on this, it's still further away). I also keep hearing the statement with the growth of commercial property that we need to have more room for further expansion. Unless I'm wrong (which I admit does happen), that it seems to me that the commercial property has been coming into the city (Meijers, Walmart, Menards, etc). The very statement that LFP has one of the largest coverage areas is slowly coming down due to the fact that property from fabius and lockport township has been 412 into the city. I would like to see Lockport stay in the association for fire protection but with some fire board members stating it's going to be this way or else, maybe we need to start looking into sub-contracting with some other department and taking our third with us when they continue to tell us this is what the building is going to be like and this is the contractor that's going to do the job. By the way, I still haven't been able to find where is states that it's required to have drive thru bays on new fire stations. If somebody could point to me where it's required by building code, etc., I would be most appreciated. And I do agree that fire stations should have drive thru bays, both for personnel injury and vehicle damage reduction. I just don't like being told it's required by law or code and conviently you can't get a straight answer where you can find it so you can understand it. Kind of like being told NFPA is required for this and that (it's only a recommendation or standard - not a requirement). I now hear that Brady would like to be included in the building project. Maybe we need to look at the lower bids that were tossed out, they appear to have pretty close to the same building styles but for a lot less. I'm sure I'm going to be more hated with the above response but I still keep seeing the runaround to questions. You ask what a price that could be manageable - I believe a price from 750,000 to 1 million dollars could build your building that would last a long time and meet your needs. Just because it says it's a pole barn doesn't mean it's a pole barn from 50 years ago. With vast improvements in building construction, they're more durable and have a more desireable appearence. And if you notice, there are still pole barns out there that have lasted this long as long as they're taking care of. I await your heated response.
Joint Fire and Ambulance Authority
Three Rivers Area • Jan 18, 2008 12:38 PM
I had somebody call me and told me about it when they heard about it. Might want to call the lockport township supervisor and ask why it's so dire to have a special meeting and hardly nobody knows about it.
Joint Fire and Ambulance Authority
Three Rivers Area • Jan 18, 2008 10:37 AM
If anybody is interested, there is a special meeting for lockport township at the township hall at 4:00pm. Sounds very interesting and the news media is going to be there from what i'm hearing that there is going to be discussions on what is going to happen.
Lockport-Fabius Fire House
Three Rivers Area • Dec 14, 2007 1:37 PM
ybagainstit Bidleman as long as you would like to use last names, I agree with you on some things, but it's not just me who doesn't agree with what the Chief did and how he did it and the manner of how he did it. You want the citizens to speak out and exercise their right to petition and then low and behold the Chief takes a petition to remove names from the petition to stop the citizens right to put it to a vote. You want democracy but then people get the lawyer involved (2nd petition), extending the deadline of when the petition had to be in. I'm fairly intelligent myself on things but try and understand the public act that governs special assessment and it's extremely indepth, so we all know this is beyond us common people, so the lawyer was surely involved throughout this and cost more taxpayers dollars. I do thank the association for absorbing the cost of the publication of the fact sheet. And yes I know nobody ever gets what they want. But there has been from what I've heard, anywhere from 2-5 years of working on this project but was dropped into the public just a couple of months in advanced to the special assessment. I agree that more people should show and ask questions, but if you talk with people in the townships, most thought this was going to be something that people voted on, not just decided at the board levels. That assisted in making people more upset. That's the perception of the people, whether you like it or I like it, this is how the general public reacts to an increase in taxes. If they're working on it in the background, was this at the building committee meetings or private conversations, etc. Because at the meetings I've been to, they state this is the way it is and let's get a fact sheet out to the public (again, I haven't been to all the meetings due to work). I've asked to be informed when they would hold any meetings and at the last one that I was at, they stated they were going to schedule one in a short while before the one that happens after the fire board meeting but I never heard when it was. Although this is late in the game and everything in hindsight is 100%, there should have been more communication to the public whether it be put in the paper, radio announcements, etc. A lot of people that I have talked to didn't know there were building committee meetings until this all hit and the uproar begin. ybagaistit, I know we have been shooting our mouth off (responding in this forum), it would be nice to know what other people have to say and express what can be done or not done in this short time to achieve a common ground and try and get this resolved. Make your voices heard whether you agree with the project or don't. Lastly, if you do want this project to go forward or don't want it to go as stated, either way, please attend meetings, and please vote in January.
Lockport-Fabius Fire House
Three Rivers Area • Dec 14, 2007 10:20 AM
ybagainstit: Thanks for your reply. I'm not angry but am frustated. Like you, I gave an example of monthly cost and then explained the rationale behind it and just how things add it. It's about how costs add up. I know you were at the meetings and I also know you wanted answers and also observed you ask a specific board member why he changed his vote on the special assessment. I give you credit for that. But on that same point, people are asking questions and all it seems that we get in responses is: this is what we agreed on and that's the way it's staying. It's hard to get compassion from the public with statements like that. ybagainstit, you came online to defend the Fire Chief and Assistant Chief and I give you credit for that, but it opens you up for questions when you become involved in the public (sorry but that's the nature of things). Like it or not, the Fire Chief created this situation when he became involved in the second petition of the three that occured and as a tax payer and township resident, I have a problem with that and he should have stayed neutral and let things run it's course. It's gotta be hard to defend this when he doesn't even live in a township and his residence is in the city. I'm not closed minded and welcome dialogue and further conversation to change my mind. But, all the people involved in the building committee, fire board, township boards and even members of the fire department need to do the same (some are) and to work with township people to come to an equitable solution so we can build a new station, instead of: here it is like it or not. Educate us, work with us, change our minds, help us buy into the future you want for the fire department. You have an upset (yes, even some angry) couple of townships (park, lockport) out there which is evident by the petitions and attendance at the special assessment hearings. Were proud of the work you do and the level of fire protection you provide for us. Lastly, one of the questions that I asked of you on your statement of responses is not that difficult to respond to and still would like clarification to it.