Aldermen were loaded for bear Tuesday, blowing off steam for more than four hours. And now that the Springfield Fire Department has a plan to build three new fire houses, the city council got to work undoing it.
Many council members are upset fire houses are not being built in their respective wards, and some wonder if the city needs three new fire houses – or any.
Ald. Kristin DiCenso says the fire union president told her the city only needs one new house, and Ald. Joe McMenamin said with $5.2 million worth of new equipment, no new fire houses are needed, especially when Springfield and Chatham could partner to cover the city’s growing southwest.
That area would purportedly be covered by a new station south of Panther Creek, but Ald. Roy Williams said that’s not even in the city. Ald. Ralph Hanauer, whose ward would benefit from that station, says his area has unacceptable response times – seven or eight minutes – as is.
The council did purchase land at Eleventh and Ash Streets for a fire house, pending results of an environmental study.