Fire Dept. bond issue.....what's happnin' Willis?

[bombermwc]

Unless I'm sorely mistaken, we passed the bond issue quite a while back for the construction of the new firestations, but I'm curious why nothing has been done.

If it was so important for No. 2 to move out of Town Center, then why aren't they doing anything in a time when there is still construction on their main line out of the neighborhood?

And did anyone ever come up with a good explanation of why HQ really needs to move? I'm still not really convinced on that one yet.

[sentrymechanic]

Where station 2 is at is not a bad location. Station 3 and 4 do need rehabbed or rebuilt though

[sentrymechanic]

Station 2 is in a good spot but station 3 and 4 need rehabbed or rebuilt

[bombermwc]

Except the point is HQ and #2 are moving as part of the bond. Whether they are OK locations or not, they are moving.

I would imagine that the city really just wanted the land on Mid-America for the hotel, but it seems stupid.

[Lauri101]

I agree - the last thing I want is a hotel in the neighborhood.
I'm also concerned about insurance rates - with a fire station 4 blocks away, my rate is excellent now. (ok, I know it's selfish, but with a wood-frame house, I like having firemen within waving distance!)

[sentrymechanic]

With MWC having an ISO rating of 2, I wouldnt worry about it. They get out quick anyway.

[bombermwc]

The bond sort of redraws all of the fire districts with all of the stations shuffling around. As they put it, to better cover the growth in MWC. I'm not really sure that I buy that, but whatever. We'll keep our insanely good insurance rating but I think a lot of this one is a waste.

[bombermwc]

So here's an article that talks about it:
From "My Midwest City"

By Ann Kelley
Staff writer

Midwest City - Construction is to begin this year on four new fire stations.

The projects are part of a $4.5 million bond issue approved by voters in November 2005. The fire department's share of the money is $4 million.

"We're going to have top-notch moden facilities to go along with our top-notch services", said Jerry Lojka, spokesman for the department.

A new Fire Station 1 will be built at 8720 SE 13 on property owned by the city (This is where they tore out the houses just north of 29th near West Side Elementary) It will serve as the department's headquarters.

More than an acre on Adair Blvd. just west of Air Deport Blvd. was purchased for a new Fire Station 2. This is near Rose St on Adair....stupidly less than 1/2 mile from HQ

Station 3, 800 Air Depot Blvd. will be demolished and replaced with a new station. same location. Station 4 will be built on 5 acres owned by the city at NE 10th and Oakview Dr. Not far from where it is now

The new stastions will be home to the department's 91 firefighters and 10 suppoer staff members. They serve an area covering 27 square miles.

Firefighters respond to about 5,600 calls annually with 70% bing medical related, Lojka said. The average responce time is less than 4 minutes, he said.

The department has an insurance rating of 1, which is the highest, Lojka said. The Mdiwest City Fire Department is the only one in the state and one of only 47 in the United States to acheive this rating, he said.

The ISO rating takes into account the department, water availability, road conditions and emergency communictations.

Lojka said the Mdiwest City Fire Department also is the only municipal departmenti n the state that has all of it's firerighters certified as hazardous material technicians.

Public educations is the jewel of the department, Lojka said.

It sponsors nine educationsl programs and comes in contact with more than 10,000 students annually for fire stafety training.

Firefighters teach cardiopulmonary resuscitation, fire extinguisher user, kitchen safety, and child car seat installation. They also install free smole detectors in homes for individuals who need assistance.

For information about fire safety programs, call the department at 739-1359.

[Lauri101]

So here's an article that talks about it:
From "My Midwest City"

By Ann Kelley
Staff writer

snip...
A new Fire Station 1 will be built at 8720 SE 13 on property owned by the city (This is where they tore out the houses just north of 29th near West Side Elementary) It will serve as the department's headquarters.
More than an acre on Adair Blvd. just west of Air Deport Blvd. was purchased for a new Fire Station 2. This is near Rose St on Adair....stupidly less than 1/2 mile from HQ

Nope, bombermwc - gotta' call you on that one.

8720 SE 13th is just north of SE 15th, east of Douglas. Google maps doesn't have it. The current number 2 is the one just north of the Town Center development on Mid-America Blvd. One of the firefighters there told me that they are moving to the Adair location.

The reason for the confusion is easy - the current #2 used to be #1 until they moved headquarters to Reno and MW Blvd. and changed the designation to #1 for headquarters. Some of us "oldtimers" think of #2 as still #1. (Before your time a bit)

gawd I feel old!

[Drake]

Nope, bombermwc - gotta' call you on that one.

8720 SE 13th is just north of SE 15th, east of Douglas. Google maps doesn't have it.

They must mean SE 15th St. They are moving dirt in front of the service center. 8720 SE 13th (that street doesn't exist) would be in the middle of the golf course

[Lauri101]

They must mean SE 15th St. They are moving dirt in front of the service center. 8720 SE 13th (that street doesn't exist) would be in the middle of the golf course

You're probably right, Drake - I did notice that dirtwork the other day.

Of course, the way some of those duffers play, maybe a fire department would be a good idea - at least the rescue unit!

[Deafguy]

My head hurts.

Maybe someone can come up with a map with all the locations.

[usmbubba]

8730 SE 15th is the address for the Service Center

[bombermwc]

Well that makes more sense then. I was told from someone that was the whole reason why they took out those houses, so they could have Air Depot access for the firestation. Guess that one was wrong.

I do know that Mid-Del wouldn't sell West Side for the price the folks wanted, which was upwards of like 2 million or something. They've put a LOT of money into that school for absolutely no good reason. It's like the Mid-Del Strings program there...all of 20 kids from all over the district and they have better resources that the real bands that are struggling to make it budget wise. Sorry, off track....

I need a map too....I can't keep all these straight.

[Deafguy]

Here is a quick map I threw together. let me know if I got something wrong. I couldn't figure out were the fourth station is. I know there is a fifth are the far northeast part of town.

[Lauri101]

Nice job, Deafguy - pretty darn close!

The current station 4 is really close to where the new one will be - same block, IIRC.

I like visuals!

[Redskin 70]

I do know that Mid-Del wouldn't sell West Side for the price the folks wanted, which was upwards of like 2 million or something. They've put a LOT of money into that school for absolutely no good reason. It's like the Mid-Del Strings program there...all of 20 kids from all over the district and they have better resources that the real bands that are struggling to make it budget wise. Sorry, off track....

I

Funny but I thought the Mid Del School board does intend to sell the West Side school.
There have been committees meeting since February on that very issue and the decision was to sell West side.
Maybe I was asleep?????

[mmonroe]

I'll have to talk to the new mid-del pta president and see if she knows anything.

[ewoodard]

Station 4 in on douglas just north of 10th and station 5 is on westminster just south of 15th.

[bombermwc]

I said they don't want to sell it for the price people have been offering. I'm sure mid-del would love to get rid of it. They haven't done anything with the place in how many decades. Programs float in and out of there but the place serves absolutely no purpose. It's been a drag on the funding world for a while as they do things to the place that shouldn't be done. I say sell it, make a buck, doze it.

[mmonroe]

Actually, west side houses the district orchestra, and serves as an alternative means to kids who get in trouble in regular school. At least the bad kids won't be drop outs and strains on the community as adults and will have a high school education.

After calling this morning, I was told no, they were not going to sell, then a phone call later said they were "talking" about it.

[Redskin 70]

Actually, west side houses the district orchestra, and serves as an alternative means to kids who get in trouble in regular school. At least the bad kids won't be drop outs and strains on the community as adults and will have a high school education.

After calling this morning, I was told no, they were not going to sell, then a phone call later said they were "talking" about it.

The building will be gone within three years.
Sooner Rose is also an option to close, but probably within 5 years

[mmonroe]

Sooner Rose and Traub being so close together on the same mile...

[bombermwc]

Yeah i've always thought it was dumb that Traub and Sooner were so close. I'd close one of them and expand the other. Traub makes more sense to expand to me, since it isn't so close that crazy intersection.

But on West Side, seriously I wouldn't let a 20 person orchestra keep them from selling. They can build a building (or toss the progarm like they should) and move on. The alternative education can move somewhere else like it had been. The only reason why programs are there because they have to come up with a reason to use the school. None of the programs have been there for any length of time. Most of the life of the school after it was closed as a normal elementary was handicap education...then they moved that to each school...which was dumb. Then it was the "smart kid" school, not anymore. The alternative education....it's just one program after another....all of which have been at other facilities.

Doze the place.

[Lauri101]

...Doze the place.

Amen - and build a huge bookstore there!