A lease agreement to house a fire station on North Little Rock's east end earned a 7-0 approval by the City Council on Monday, answering a need that residents in several neighborhoods have cited for years.
North Little Rock will rent property from Southeast Financial Management LLC for the next three years that includes a 1,920-square-foot office and a storage building for a firetruck at 9906 U.S. 165. The 1-acre property has 274 feet of frontage along U.S. 165.
The lease is for three years, with the City Council's approval including $18,700 for the first year's rent and related expenses. Alderman Beth White was absent from Monday's meeting.
"The council's approved it, so it's going to happen," John Santoro, president of the Willow Beach Neighborhood Association, said after the meeting. "We're on board. With all those subdivisions and warehouses out there now, that's the direction that the city is growing. There's no choice but to put one out there."
The fire station is temporary until, or if, the city builds and staffs a permanent station in the area that includes Faulkner Crossing, Ashley Downs, Stone Links, Willow Beach, Cypress Crossing and Deer Meadows subdivisions.
Mayor Joe Smith and Fire Chief Jim Murphy worked out the plan in the fall to lease property, but finalizing the arrangement didn't come until recently. Noting the longtime need for the station, Smith said the topic even came up when he interviewed Murphy last summer for the chief's position.
"I told him we had a challenge out east and he took that challenge to heart," Smith said.
Beyond the temporary arrangement, there aren't plans for a permanent station, Smith said. The city has owned property meant for a fire station in the area since 2008, but city funding hasn't been available.
"I hope this gets us three to five years down the road and we'll go from there," Smith said.
Metro on 02/10/2015