Plan gives east NLR firehouse

$18,700 to rent, convert building is on council’s agenda

A fire station clamored for by residents of neighborhoods on North Little Rock's eastern side is about to become a reality -- at least temporarily.

The North Little Rock City Council will consider legislation at its 6 p.m. meeting Monday at City Hall to appropriate $18,700 as a first year's rental and related expenses to convert property at 9906 E. U.S. 165 into a fire station. The resolution was added Thursday to the council's previously announced agenda.

The lease with Southeast Financial Management LLC will be for three years. The property includes a 1,920-square-foot office and a storage building behind it on about an acre of land that has 274 feet of frontage along U.S. 165, according to the lease agreement. The city will have one option to renew the lease for another three years.

A "low-profile" sign will be installed next to a driveway to identify the property as a North Little Rock fire station, according to the agreement.

The city's eastern boundary has extended over time toward Scott. For the past few years, residents in several neighborhoods in that area have criticized North Little Rock for a lack of fire protection that's closer to their homes and businesses. The closest fire station is about nine minutes away, while the ideal time for a firetruck to reach its destination is four minutes, Fire Chief Jim Murphy has said.

North Little Rock bought 2.2 acres in the area in 2008 to build a fire station, but funding hasn't been available to cover the cost to build, equip and staff the station, city officials have said.

John Santoro, president of the Willow Beach Neighborhood Association, said Friday that news of the coming fire station will be a relief to the area's residents.

"If we can at least have a truck on the scene faster, that will help until other trucks can get involved," Santoro said. "We definitely will be tickled to death to have a firetruck that close to us.

"The city is growing this way, and it needs to have that [fire station] in place, I think, before they grow any more," he said. "We're all for it. We're all in."

Mayor Joe Smith and Murphy announced the temporary plan last fall at a meeting attended by residents of the adjoining neighborhoods, but were waiting on an independent analysis of citywide fire coverage and response times before solidifying the plans.

Murphy has a draft of the report by TriData Division, System Planning Corp. of Arlington, Va., that he is reviewing and that should be finalized and available by early March, city spokesman Nathan Hamilton said Friday.

"They are confident that the investment will not be in vain," Hamilton said of the fire station arrangement.

Alderman Linda Robinson said residents are "happy to get a temporary [station] until we can put something permanent in place." The neighborhoods affected are in Ward 2 and are represented by Robinson and Alderman Maurice Taylor.

"It's still a need out there," Robinson said of having a permanent fire station. "I know the chief is real concerned about that area. Not only regarding fires, but he's also concerned about being able to get to the people in case someone has a medical emergency, like a heart attack or stroke."

At last fall's announcement, officials said that fire crews from other stations would probably rotate to the temporary site instead of having a regular crew assigned to it. But a final decision hasn't been made, Hamilton added.

"Chief Murphy is still working up the staffing issue," he said. "It's important to understand that it's a temporary solution. It will always be a temporary process because of that."

Metro on 02/08/2015

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