This
is what Carefree was thinking
In
her letter to the editor appearing in The Desert Advocate on
May 17, Jenny Pradler asks, “What was Carefree thinking?” She
asks this question regarding the placement and building of the
Carefree firehouse at the intersection of Tom Darlington and
Lucky Lane on property zoned commercial at the perimeter of
the town center.
What
we were thinking is quite simple and has never changed, and
that is: How to best protect the lives and property of Carefree
citizens! As a first step to locating the fire station, we asked
Rural Metro to conduct a review of the historical pattern of
emergency calls for both fire and EMS. The ideal location for
the fire station was shown to be the town core.
With
the critical objective of minimizing response times, it was
also decided that the fire station should have immediate access
to Tom Darlington or Cave Creek Road. Property availability
was researched adjacent to the current Rural Metro facility.
Sites were either too small or not available for purchase. After
review of the other sites, the Lucky Lane location was identified
as a possible candidate.
We
had both Rural Metro and the Scottsdale Fire Department confirm
that the site could accommodate a fire station and then had
the property appraised. We were able to secure the property
for $50,000 over appraised value. Were we to attempt to buy
this property today, it would be considerably more expensive.
It
is important to note that the fire engine and ambulance today
enter onto Tom Darlington from Ed Everett Way, which is on the
north end of the Montacino townhouses. When they enter from
the new firehouse, they will be on the south end of the Montacino
townhouses. There will be no difference in noise exposure than
there is now.
Ms.
Pradler asserts in her letter that the town is “railroading”
this project through. We have had more public meetings on fire
protection, fire house and fire master contracts over the past
year than any other project in Carefree. Specifically, since
last June we have had four Citizen Fire Protection Committee
meetings, two Fire Protection Open House meetings, one Firehouse
Citizen Participation meeting, two formal town council Citizen
Fire Protection reports, and one Development Review Board meeting.
Ms.
Pradler also raises the question why our firehouse will cost
$2.3 million and another community can build one for $1 million.
The primary answer is they built it using fire department personnel,
saving a considerable amount on labor costs. We are not able
to do that. Our costs are in line with what the majority of
municipalities are paying today and we will do this with no
property tax.
This
is the right fire house on the right site at the appropriate
cost and it will protect the lives and property of Carefree
citizens for many years to come.
