FAYETTEVILLE -- The Washington County ambulance service will offer to buy property from Fayetteville for a station, Chief Becky Stewart said Thursday.
Central EMS could stop leasing its station on Crossover Road near Wyman Road for $700 a month and move up the street. The move would provide long-term stability and property ownership, said Steve Harrison, deputy chief for Central EMS.
Central EMS
The ambulance service covers Fayetteville, Elkins, Farmington, Goshen, Greenland, Lincoln, Prairie Grove, Tontitown, Johnson, West Fork and Winslow. Fayetteville, like all member cities, contributes to the ambulance service. The city pays about $176,000 annually.
Source: Staff report
"It's an investment," Harrison said.
The City Council decided Tuesday to sell the Fire Prevention Bureau at 833 N. Crossover Road. On Wednesday, the ambulance authority's executive committee decided to offer $162,000, or what the property appraised for in June.
Central EMS officials toured the building and measured the garage Thursday afternoon. The building is 2,747 square feet including the garage, Stewart said. Property records show the building is on nearly 1 acre.
The structure is perfect for ambulance crews who will be at the station 24 hours, seven days a week, Harrison said. It has a kitchen, office and bedroom.
The offer will be contingent on removing an unneeded evidence room, Stewart said. The offer will be reviewed by the county attorney.
The city no longer needs the property because fire marshals are moving to an office at Drake Field, Fire Chief David Dayringer said. That should happen by November, firefighters said Thursday.
If the city accepts the offer, Central EMS could move in by the end of the year, Harrison said.
The city will take bids from anyone, but the property is most suitable for an ambulance or fire station, City Attorney Kit Williams said. The City Council can accept the highest bid but doesn't have to, he said. The council is likely to look at the bids next month, Williams said.
The ambulance authority is considering asking the state Department of Transportation for flashing lights near the station to slow traffic, Harrison said.
The station is just below a hill's crest. Committee members are concerned the entrance will be dangerous, but Dayringer said emergency vehicles haven't had that problem.
The ambulance service is in a good financial position to make the purchase, Stewart said. This year's overall budget is $10 million.
The service has about $1.2 million in total value of land and buildings, according to a financial summary released by the committee this month.
As of July, the service had nearly $324,000 in a fund for facilities and about $530,000 "cash in the bank," according to a finance report. Total assets, not including property, buildings and equipment, were at $2.8 million.
The only long-term debt the service has is $136,000 for an ambulance, the report shows.
Besides the station on Crossover Road, the ambulance service leases two other properties -- a building in Farmington for $3,250 a month to store spare ambulances and parking space near Station 1 on South School Avenue for $300 month, Stewart said.
A subcommittee has started planning for a headquarters to put those functions and others under one roof.
NW News on 08/18/2017