Shayla Gaulding
The Emporia Gazette
(TNS)
Apr. 1—County commissioners continued discussions into a new fire station in Strong City at their meeting Friday morning.
The county commission is debating moving forward with a Community Development Block Grant application for funding for the new station.
“That existing facility is just no longer adequate for the needs of the fire department and so what we need is something that can meet the needs and storage of the apparatus required,” Clint Hibbs with BG Consultants explained.
Hibbs added that the decision was made to not attempt to expand the current site, as the building, owned by the City of Strong City, sits next to the splash pad and park.
“It would conflict with the safety of the general public,” he said.
A new location at the intersection of Cottonwood and 8th streets has been identified, though no final decisions have been made. Hibbs said the new $1.9 million station would increase the fire department’s space by around 3,200 square feet. The facility would have eight bays for the fire department to back into and pull out of, as well as a training facility, bathrooms, decontamination space, storage and space for EMS vehicles.
A public hearing is scheduled for April 5 at 7 p.m. at Swope Park community building for community questions and input.
Ranson Financial Municipal Consultant Rose Mary Saunders said she is looking into other sources of funding through the Emporia Community Foundation, private foundations, community service tax credits and more.
“By the time that this project is awarded, that amount of funding that would need to go in for general obligation bonds [will be] down,” Saunders said.
The county commission will make a decision on whether to move forward with applying for the May 10 round of CDBG funding at its April 10 meeting, after public opinion and more research can be gathered. Saunders said another round of funding is likely to come through within the next year.
“If we decide not to do this, this is not something we can put off for another five years,” Commissioner Matt Miller said.
Greg Davis with the fire department said in the meantime, they are looking into getting a fence to block the fire department from the splash pad/park area.
In further business, commissioners signed law enforcement contracts with the City of Strong City and the City of Cottonwood Falls. The individual cities have already signed the contracts.
Sheriff Jacob Welsh said he has been working with both cities on contracts to help enforce violations that state statute cannot cover.
“I can enforce speed on city streets but I cannot enforce code violations. I cannot enforce dangerous structures, animals at large, because I am not a police officer of that municipality,” Welsh said. “… Something happens in the city, obviously we are going to respond. That’s what we do, life safety first.”
Welsh added that this service would not increase the tax burden on the entire county population.
Instead, both cities will pay $1,000 a month to the county, with funds going toward law enforcement purposes.
“This is an additional service upon what we are being asked to do,” he said.
Per the contracts, Welsh said, the city will investigate code violations and in the event they cannot get compliance, the sheriff will step in.
“The biggest one is really animals,” Welsh said. “The City of Strong City built a kennel so if we come across an animal at large in the middle of the night, we can put it in Strong City’s kennel — they are good with that w