Star Tribune Wed, 14 May 2008 02:02:02 GMT
Savage's dilemma: Fire stations cost, but so can slow response
Savage is facing tough choices on one or more new facilities: cost vs. delayed response to some parts of town. The city of Savage is facing a decision on whether to build one or more costly new fire stations amid warnings that it suffers from "significant areas of service deficiency." And a former fire chief is dissenting from the consensus achieved by the group that examined whether new stations are needed. When lives and property are at stake, said Al McColl, now a member of the City Council, "I have problems with merely being 'adequate.'" A report presented late Monday at an informal workshop with the council warns that crews are "often" taking longer than the optimal seven minutes to reach emergencies west of Hwy. 13 and in the planned growth zone south of 150th Street. But new stations could cost $1.25 million each at a time when a slowdown in growth and housing values is placing pressure on cities' finances. A significant subplot has to do with whether to ask the city's taxpayers for permission to proceed.
[[keywords: PublicSafety;Metro;]]
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