Neighbors claim ‘no notice’ of firehouse project
Residents near Carefree fire station concerned about noise, traffic, say design doesn’t fit in
by Jason Stone

CAREFREE – Residents near a planned town‑owned fire station off Tom Darlington Drive have questions about traffic and noise. Mayor Ed Morgan wants to know what took them so long.

Traffic issues and noise concerns are just two things bothering residents near the fire station site. But it may be too little, too late, as the project was already approved in March, a year after the town purchased the property for the purpose of building a firehouse.

In addition, the group of residents feels they were not properly informed about the project, despite heavy media attention, the holding of several public meetings and the formation of a town fire committee last summer.

Dave Brubaker, an architect who lives in the Montecino Condominiums across from the station site at Tom Darlington and Lucky Lane, said he only heard about the project a week prior to an April 26 public meeting to view the firehouse design.

“We got no notification about this project,” Brubaker told town council May 2.

“Do you read any of the newspapers?” the mayor asked. “Do you look at the announcements on the (bulletin) board when you check your mail?”

Spilling over from the public meeting on the fire station in late April when nearby residents spoke in opposition or expressed concerns about the facility, town council heard more complaints at its regular meeting last week.

Despite initial opposition from a small group of citizens during the planning phases–most notably by community activist John Traynor, who disputed cost estimates as too low–the town purchased the half‑acre lot for $500,000 and, for another $500,000, a fire truck to go with the facility.

But the public meeting last week stirred the interest of Brubaker and other residents in the nearby condominiums. Neighbors also complained about a design that doesn’t fit Carefree.

“We don’t feel it sets in with the Carefree look,” said Melissa Price, a resident at Montecino. “When I look at the other buildings in Carefree, I just feel that they are more of a Southwest look.”

Morgan reiterated the need for the firehouse and added that the purchase of the property, sitting vacant for 45 years, was a “bargain” for the town. “We’re very happy to have gotten it,” the mayor said.