Seemingly divided Arlington County Board members on July 12 continued to grasp for consensus on the future of Fire Station #8, hoping to come to a conclusion before departing on a summer recess next week.
A majority of board members may be ready to side with the community, but the situation remains fluid and the most vocal board member on the subject – Chairman Libby Garvey – is in favor of relocation. Garvey said statistics are clear: A move from the fire station’s current location on Lee Highway to a site at 26th Street North and Old Dominion Drive would provide quicker response times to residential areas in far northwest Arlington.
Board members are slated to make a decision on the final location on July 19. Funds for planning and designing the new facility are slated to be included in a Nov. 8 bond referendum, with construction funds slated for inclusion in a 2018 bond referendum.
A task force set up last year by the County Board came in with its report in late May, with a majority of members in favor of keeping the station where it is. That was a victory for many residents of the Halls Hill/High View Park community, who want the station retained in their midst to honor African-American firefighters who served the community during the segregation era, and to provide rapid response to calls for service.
While the task force disagreed with county staff on the location, all sides appear to agree that a new station needs to have four service bays, compared to two at the current station. In either location, such a station would cost about $14 million, according to current estimates.