Debate unresolved on site for fire station

A new location for Fire Station No. 1 in Sylvania Township remains in question.

Sylvania Township Trustees met for the second time tonight to debate the acquisition of potential properties, in another closed-door, executive session that lasted more than an hour. The trustees did not take any action when they came out of the session.

“We haven’t come to any definite conclusion yet. We’ll see what [the other two trustees] say, then we’ll go to a public hearing. I want to make sure people have a choice of say in the matter,” said Trustee Kevin Haddad.

The station is the last of three total township fire stations to be replaced as part of a capital campaign by the city. In late April, after a closed-door discussion, trustees put out a request for proposals.

“I still want it on Erie Street,” trustee Kevin Haddad said, prior to the meeting. “Erie Street is the perfect location.”

He said the fire station will be designed to be “aesthetically pleasing,” to fit in with wherever it is finally placed.

Voters approved a 1.25-mill general operating levy in 2008, and the township began collecting it the following year, to pay for three new stations and for the remodeling of Station No. 4. Everything has been completed except the construction of Station No. 1. The trustees must appropriate the money or return it.

The Station No. 1 project has been held up by disagreements over where to locate it. The issue of a location has been contentious, especially in the city of Sylvania, where the existing station is located at 6633 Monroe St.

The trustees eliminated a proposed location at 7610 Erie St. in September after nearby residents voiced strong opposition, saying they feared it would disrupt the neighborhood, and they would be awakened by lights and sirens on the trucks if the new station was placed near a residential area. State law dictates that if lights are on, the siren must be turned on as well, even during the middle of the night.

The township fire department is responsible for protection in both communities. Township and city officials have disagreed for years over a replacement site for the firehouse on Monroe just west of Main Street. Township fire officials have maintained that the current site is ill-suited for a replacement because it is too small and compromised by frequent traffic backups.