Residents shoot down plans for Jomax Road fire station
by Barry Cohen

SCOTTSDALE – Plans to build a new $3 million fire station in north Scottsdale went down in proverbial flames late last week.

After facing intense criticism over planned construction of a permanent station at 7606 E. Jomax Road, the Scottsdale Fire Department will be searching for a different location.

Of the 50 north Scottsdale residents who attended a Sept. 27 meeting to learn about the city’s plans, all but one strongly opposed the site, according to Charles Krehort.

“The problem is that they were proposing to put a huge fire station into what is basically a residential neighborhood,” said Krehort, a resident of the Jomax/ Monterra community. The sub‑division is located at Scottsdale and Jomax Roads.

The day after the public meeting, Fire Chief William L. McDonald wrote a letter to Scottsdale Mayor Mary Manross and city council recommending purchase of the parcel be removed from the Oct. 3 council agenda.

“Given the community reaction and concerns from residents in the immediate area of the proposed site and the knowledge that other sites may be available, I feel the Fire Department needs to spend more time communicating with citizens within the target area of the proposed sites and the existing sites,” wrote McDonald.

Scottsdale wants to replace its temporary fire station in the 26000 block of  Pima Road with a permanent facility. The city had proposed building a 11,000‑square‑foot station on the Jomax Road parcel and had made a $15,000 non‑refundable deposit on the property. According to David Cieslak, fire department spokesperson, the estimated $3 million station cost did not include the price of the real estate.

Removing the item from council’s agenda will allow the escrow to lapse and the deposit will be forfeited, according to McDonald’s letter.

The search for a new fire station site will focus on parcels within the area bounded by Pima, Scottsdale, Jomax and Dynamite roads.

Krehort said that since he was the one primarily responsible for shooting down the Jomax Road parcel, he will help McDonald find a more appropriate and affordable site.

“I have two people with real estate credentials working on it,” he stated. “We will try to find an area that will have minimal impact on residents but still give the fire department the space they need.