At Longmont's Fire Station No. 2 on Mountain View Avenue and Hover Road, there isn't a lot of room for Engineer Roger Ellsworth to get into the fire truck's driver seat. In the bay, there's only enough room for the driver's side door to open about 18 inches.
Once the door is closed, Ellsworth has to sneak sideways between the corner of the 34-foot truck and a pillar supporting the bay roof.
When Fire Station No. 2 was built in 1967, trucks were only 24 feet long and there were usually two male firefighters at the station at any given time.
Now, 49 years later, the station has been through several renovations with add-ons to the bay and accommodations for female firefighters, but staff say it's time for a new station and location altogether. The station currently houses between three and four firefighters at any one time and is prevented from growing further by property on all sides.
Scott Snyder, support services for the Longmont public safety, estimated a $3.9 million cost of relocating Fire Station No. 2. The $3.9 million — along with $3.1 million for rebuilding Fire Station No. 6 — are part of a $26.5 million bond issue city staff are proposing for 2019.
In 2000, the city issued bonds to pay for the Recreation Center and Roosevelt Park projects. City finance staff have allocated $2.8 million per year in the budget to pay off that bond, but it will be paid off in 2019.
That frees up $2.8 million per year that staff is proposing be used to issue a new 20-year bond in 2019.
The proposed bond would be paid off over 20 years from tax dollars, although it wouldn't require a tax increase. In order for the city to be able to issue the bond, City Council must place it on the 2017 ballot and voters would have to approve it.
At Fire Station No. 2, the bays for the trucks are too small and the firefighters have trouble pulling out of the station because of the curve in Mountain View Avenue.