Politics & Government

Council Approves Money to Build New Firehouse in U City

The new firehouse is slated to be built at 6601 Vernon Ave.

The city council voted Monday night to approve a resolution allocating additional funding needed to build a new firehouse in University City.

University City received a grant in the amount of $2,612,197 for constructing the new firehouse. That was $536,981 less than originally requested. The fire department asked for additional funding from the city in the amount of $674,494 to complete the project, as the current construction costs exceed the amount the city allotted for the project.

Ward 2 Councilmember L. Michael Glickert was the only councilmember to vote against the resolution. He's not a fan of the proposed firehouse location at 6601 Vernon Ave. He's worried about safety. He's concerned the trucks are going to have a tough time navigating the tight residential roads.

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Glickert said, "If we need a new fire station, then let’s take a look at those options, instead of arbitrarily jumping on this proposed site."

“We’re all for the fire station, but I don't think its location is in the best interest of all the citizens of University City,” Glickert said.

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The land where the firehouse will be built was given free to University City by Washington University. There was some worry that the area repeatedly floods. However, the city denied that the location experiences flooding.

CITIZEN/COUNCIL COMMENTS

Prior to the vote, Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal (D-University City) urged the council to support the firehouse resolution.

"We have a responsibility in our community to ensure that we have facilities that are appropriate for the people who work for our city," she said. University City needs to have facilities that are “appropriate” and “up to date,” for its public employees, she added.

Ward 1 Councilmember Terry Crow voted in favor of the firehouse funds but expressed concern about costs. “I have suspicions that this is tip of the iceberg,” he said. He urged the city manager and city staff to be diligent in implementing cost-reduction measures.

University City resident Ernestine Bolton, the mother of a firefighter said, "I think they (firefighters) deserve the best."

"U City has always been a leader, so we need to move forward now to deal with much needed replacement of our infrastructure, and I believe that this is the beginning of what I think a lot of cities should be doing," said Ward 3 Councilmember Byron Price, a supporter of the firehouse.


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