By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
A potential site for a new fire station and fire division headquarters has been located on the north edge of Bowling Green. An ordinance authorizing the city to purchase the property will be introduced at Bowling Green City Council’s meeting on Tuesday evening.
The 4.26-acre site is located on Newton Road, just to the east of the BG Community Center. It is currently owned by Robert and Patricia Maurer.
Mayor Mike Aspacher said Friday that the location meets the city’s goal of cutting fire and EMS response times in the community. The city’s plan is to cease using the Court Street fire station due to multiple deficiencies, continue using the Pearl Street station on the city’s west side, build a satellite fire station at Carter Park on the east side, and build a new northern station and headquarters on Newton Road.
The acreage comes with a price tag of $240,000 for the city. According to the proposed ordinance, the property has an appraised market value of $639,000, but the Maurers have agreed to gift a portion of the property to the city.
“The Maurers’ gift is very generous. If not for that, it couldn’t have worked in the budget,” Aspacher said.
And the Newton Road and Carter Park locations will help the city meet its goal of four-minute or less response times to every home and business, the mayor said.
Using software models that measure response times anywhere in the city, it was determined the proposed northern site would meet current needs and future needs as Bowling Green expands northward.
“The location is very, very good,” Aspacher said.
The number of fire and EMS calls have tripled, from 1,095 calls for service in 1992, to 3,418 calls in 2022. The number is expected to hit 4,000 this year.
The Maurer property is adjacent to 20 acres to the south already owned by the city, which may have future benefits, the mayor said.
The property purchase ordinance will be given one reading by City Council on Tuesday.
Earlier this summer, council voted to place a 0.15% income tax increase on the Nov. 4 ballot, for the construction of two new fire stations plus purchase of some new fire and EMS equipment.
The projected cost of building and equipping the two new stations will be in the ballpark of $30 million. That includes $14.7 million for the headquarters station, $10.5 for the satellite station, $2.5 million for an aerial ladder truck, and $2 million for other fire and ambulance equipment.
For years, city leaders have been discussing the condition of the Court Street Fire Station, and the desire to decrease emergency response time in the city. Municipal Administrator Lori Tretter has said that a report in December on the unsafe conditions at the Court Street fire station was a “wake-up call” to the city.
If voters support the income tax in November, city officials hope to begin construction on the two new stations in 2026, with the goal to have them operational in 2027. Next, work will transition to renovation of the police station in 2028. During that construction, the police division will be temporarily housed in the Court Street fire station, which is slated for demolition when the police renovations are complete.
