The Statesville City Council moved forward with its plans for Fire Station No. 1 Monday, Statesville.com reported.

The city approved a budget amendment 8-0 to move $7.2 million in American Rescue Act funds received by the city into the fire station’s fund after it was updated on the design and construction of a fire station that will replace the current Fire Station No. 1, the report said. Fire Station No. 1 is more than 50 years old, the report said.

The city said that when the project was expanded to include lower-lever administrative space, the total project cost was estimated to be just over $10 million. Based on the pricing received in October and updated estimates for the remaining work, the total project cost is currently estimated at $13.5 million, according to the report.

The city stated that after authorizing the process in May 2021, staff has worked with Edifice to develop conceptual and final designs, incorporate lower-level administrative space, and explore cost-saving measures as construction pricing continues to escalate, the report said.

While the city is using ARPA funds to cover some of the cost of the new fire station, the city will have to decide how it will address the remaining costs, whether that is through debt or other means, the report said.

Residents came out Tuesday and showed strong support for a nonbinding question about renovating the city’s old fire station, CentralMaine.com reported.

Because the question was nonbinding, the city is not obligated to take specific actions based on the results, the report said.

The fire station, which is nearly 200 years old, has been considered as a location for the new police station since 2018, the report said. City officials estimated the project would cost between $4-5 million. 

The Abilene Fire Department will soon have a ninth fire station, ReporterNews.com reported.

On Tuesday, Abilene residents by 70% voted for Proposition A on the ballot, a proposal to build a fire station in far south Abilene, just east of U.S. Highways 83/84 near FM 707, the report said.

Unofficially, 19,754 voted in favor to building the new station with 8,352 opposed. The bond was passing easily after early and absentee votes were announced, the report said.

The cost will be about $8 million, according to the report.

The following is from the city of Abilene’s website regarding Fire Station 9:

• The station would be located on 3 acres of City owned property on FM707, at the Beltway South and East 707 Spur, providing direct access to highway 83/84 and a station 9 service area of Far South Abilene.
• Fire Station 9 would respond to calls received from the interchange of Loop 322 and Winters freeway, down to Saddle Lakes Drive, and extending from the east side of Mesquite Forest neighborhood to FM 1750.
• Fire Station 9 would be an estimated 14,000 square feet in size, and home to a total of 12 new firefighters who would comprise one full firefighting crew. The station would include 4 double-sized apparatus bays, offices, and 6 to 8 bedrooms.
• The addition of a Fire Station 9 would reduce the coverage area of AFD’s Fire Station 8, enabling crews to improve response times from an average of seven minutes to five minutes or less, and best serve the projected future population of the fast-growing South Abilene.

A driver lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a fire station in Philadelphia overnight Wednesday, CBSNews.com reported. The crash happened around 2:30 a.m. on the 4500 block of Van Kirk Street in Wissinoming. 

Video shows the car has heavy damage to the front end, the report said. The crash also damaged the fire station’s garage door, putting the station out of commission for the night. 

No further information is available at this time. 

For the second time in three months, voters in Alpena Township nixed a tax increase for fire services, TheAlpenaNews.com reported.

On Tuesday, voters declined a 3-mill tax increase 2,537 to 2,085 — roughly the same margin that the tax failed in August — that would have fully funded the township fire department, added needed staffing, equipment, and helped the township save for future plans like a new south side fire station, the report said.

The millage failing forces the township Board of Trustees to formulate a plan for the department into the future. The board has had meetings to discuss its options should the tax fail, but nothing concrete has been considered, the report said.

A township official said the voters have spoken and now it is up to the board to come to an agreement on what the path forward is, according to the report.