NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- On Wednesday, the North Las Vegas City Council is expected to approve construction of a new fire station in the central part of the city. It is a move that comes as the city and the firefighters union are still in talks to save more than 30 firefighters from potential layoffs.
Given the state of the economy, is now the time to buy-in to another multi-million dollar project?
At North Las Vegas Fire Station 50 near Martin Luther King Blvd. and Cheyenne, the fire alarm is not the only sound keeping firefighters awake at night.
"You hear the creaks and the cracks and the pops and the bangs that occur as the station moves," said Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Brame.
The decades-old station rocks and rolls, literally, says Deputy Chief Brame. It is the result of unstable earth beneath it. The faint smell of raw sewage also permeates the premises because the pipes are no longer connected. There are cracks that run the length of the building, doors that require constant upkeep and gaps between the walls and the ceilings large enough to see through.
"I can put my hand literally up into the ceiling area where it's separating," said Brame.
In 2002, the city condemned the building. They then spent more than $100,000 to temporarily relocate the crew and rehab the facility.
That, says Brame, bought the city six more years of use but the time has come to relocate and replace the station.
"There's an advantage to be had here for the citizens as a whole. They're going to get a fire station at a much less expensive price. They're going to get their enhanced coverage and we're going to be able to take the firefighters out of an unhealthy environment," said Brame.
The project, slated for construction on two acres of City View Park, came in for more than $3 million under original estimates, for a total of $4.5 million in general obligation bonds.
But any cost-benefit analysis, says Brame, should begin with service. The department insists the new location will improve coverage in one of the busiest parts of town.
Critics argue the location of the new Fire Station 50 is roughly a mile from Fire Station 52, the same station the department chose to lose an engine company earlier this year when faced with budget reductions. Union concessions ultimately saved those jobs.
But some are questioning why city leaders would approve the multi-million dollar project with firefighter layoffs and station closures still on the table.
North Las Vegas City Council members Anita Wood and Richard Cherchio plan to support the project, in part because it is expected to improve service coverage in the central part of town.
"This isn't just the city spending money foolishly and unnecessarily when people are losing their jobs and people are out of work. This money had again been allocated for it and it's needed. It's needed for their safety and for the safety of our firefighters," said Cherchio.
Both the city and the firefighters union remain in negotiations to avoid the layoffs of more than 30 firefighters and any resulting station closures. Both sides say they expect they will reach an agreement. The new Station 50, if approved, will be funded with general obligation bonds.
