Council discusses location for new fire station

The City Council Monday looked into the possibility of locating both a fire station and community center in one building at Ashwood Park.

The City Council Monday looked into the possibility of locating both a fire station and community center in one building at Ashwood Park.

Councilmembers leaned away from the idea, arguing for more consideration of other locations for a fire station.

Ashwood Park is about two acres of lawn, including a small baseball diamond, with a parking lot, between Northeast 10th and 12th streets. Although undersized for official use, it is used informally for soccer, baseball and other activities.

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City staff has been looking for possible sites for a new downtown fire station since 2002, when it was projected that a significant increase in the residential population, in new high-rises at the city’s core, would necessitate quicker response than possible from Station 1, at 766 Bellevue Way. An appropriate city-owned site would reduce the projected cost of a new station by an estimated $3 million.

Fire Chief Mike Eisner noted that the call volume downtown increased by just 8 percent from 2007 to 2011, so the need is not urgent.

Eisner and Parks & Community Services Director Patrick Foran discussed whether a combined facility merited study. Such a building could house a fire station on the first floor and a community center on the second, above underground parking, on the north side of the park, leaving most of the field open.

Several councilmembers argued against locating a fire station at the park, noting concerns about potential impacts from noise and lighting on nearby residences. They asked staff to continue looking for downtown sites for a station.