City tries again for federal grant for Fire Department

By Charles Sercombe
City Manager Bill Cooper is crossing his fingers but he’s not holding his breath.
About a month ago, Cooper submitted a grant proposal to the federal government’s Department Homeland Security to build a new fire station. Several months ago the city struck out in winning a grant to purchase a new aerial ladder truck.
Cooper figures his chances for winning this grant are also “pretty slim.”
He is asking for $3 million.
Cooper said the grant requires the station to be built on city-owned land, meaning the city can’t force the owners of private lots to turn over their property through eminent domain. Ideally, Cooper would like to have enough space to allow the fire trucks to pull into their bay from the rear.
That means no more having to back up the trucks in the streets. Cooper said the current station is outdated and is not big enough for modern trucks.
“It’s functional,” he said when pushed further to describe the condition of the station.