Maplewood residents will have the opportunity to vote on a bond issue — Proposition F — for a new firehouse for the Maplewood Fire Department on November 4, according to the city website.
The city provides this information on the present firehouse, and why a new one is needed:
The present firehouse, housed at Maplewood City Hall, was built in 1962 and by today’s standard is too small and functionally obsolete. The firehouse was not designed to accommodate modern emergency response vehicles and equipment. A lack of space and outdated functional design has led to purchasing equipment and vehicles that fit within the limited space available while also trying to find balance with modern emergency response needs.
Since 1962, the Fire Department’s staffing levels have expanded to offer the community a higher level of emergency services, including paramedics, and the level of services is impeded by the rigid building structure that cannot be retrofitted to accommodate the expansion of services. Our firefighters serve 48-hour shifts and the existing building doesn’t provide for sleeping quarters or restroom facilities for female firefighters/paramedics.
The City of Maplewood owns the property just to the west of City Hall (formerly a used car lot) and it would serve well as the site for the new firehouse. The bond issue on the ballot, if approved, would authorize the City of Maplewood to issue $6,000,000 in General Revenue bonds to pay the majority of costs for the construction of the new firehouse.
Maplewood’s taxes have been lowered over the last few years. This bond issue, if approved, would result in a 28¢ property tax increase which equals a $53 property tax increase for each $100,000 of assessed valuation. If this bond issue is approved, your property tax rate, with the increase, would be exactly the same as it was in 2003.
We are offering you an opportunity to see the firehouse for yourself every Wednesday evening from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., for other times please call 314-646-3666 and arrange a tour. We are confident that once you observe the current conditions, you will understand the need for a new facility to serve the community. Please call (314)646-3666 to arrange a tour.
I’m not sure where nomdeplume lives, but I used to hear Fire Dept sirens every day near my old place. They are busy guys; they’re not out there shooting hoops all day. The bottom line is that you don’t want to fool around with your Fire Department facilities by being cheap. If Maplewood is going continue its development as a destination community, we need modern facilities with modern capabilities, not a dorm/garage in city hall that is in itself awful by preventing us from hiring women. And let’s not forget that a proper fire house is part of a community’s character. Let’s start improving that stretch of Manchester with a great municipal building that houses the people who might save your life one day. If you hate the temporary tax increase, call it crowdfunding, and you’re being asked to kick in maybe $100 or so if you own one of the nicer houses in town. Our city government is more conservative in practice than you might think, and the council generally likes cutting taxes when it can. I would not expect this tax to stick around for long. $6,000,000 is a lot of money, but how does that work out in dollars per square foot? What is the national average for a modern fire house? What is the local average? There are simple metrics to ensure we don’t build a Taj Mahal, and we have a competent city government that can handle the job.
Chuck D –
I’m not sure where you are finding that we have been raising our real estate taxes. We have lowered them 6 years in a row for residents. If you are seeing your taxes go up, then the value of your home is going up. This increase will bring it to 2003 tax levels. As for financing this in a different way, I’m not sure there is. We did have some excellent discussions in a work session (which are always open to the public) about how to do it. The Council came to the agreement this is the most effective and financially prudent way.
Jane –
I do know that people are working on their homes to improve them and bring them up to code which is great! To clarify, I meant that people are not tearing down and rebuilding homes, where you would see a substantial increase in safety due to new codes AND new building materials.
I think we have to remember that fires happen for a variety of reasons: bad wiring, fires in flues, accidents, kitchen accidents, arson, etc. We provide excellent and quick emergency services in Maplewood which I am proud of; I would like to keep it that way. I can see it’s difficult to see if you haven’t needed any of our Emergency or Paramedic capabilities. But if you do, you will be glad that you invested in it! It is becoming logistically more difficult as time passes with an aging firehouse and restricted capabilities.
52 years is a long time to have a firehouse. Technology changes. We need to make sure that we can deliver these services now and into the future.
Shawn Faulkingham
Councilmember Ward 3
City of Maplewood, MO
According to the National Fire Protection Association, between 1980 and 2006, the number of fire calls has declined 44 percent. I’m not saying saying that there isn’t a need for a new fire house but $6,000,000 is a lot of money. We, as a society, seem to have fallen into a ‘safety at any cost’ mentality that is obvious in all the Taj Mahal style firehouses that have sprung up. It’s interesting to note that the article says that the $6,000,000 in bonds will cover MOST of the cost of the firehouse. So the total bill may be somewhat higher?!
I toured the firehouse for the Maplewood Citizens Academy. To me the living quarters looked like a slightly larger than normal dorm room with beds crammed in it. A separate space (big enough for one bed) is for snorers.
I don’t disagree that we need a new firehouse, but another real estate tax increase? We moved to Maplewood in 2008 because of the “bang for the buck” vs. neighboring municipalities like U-City, Clayton, and Webster. I hate to say it, but that bang is all but gone at this point. Our real estate taxes are up 77% since we moved in and now we’re talking about another potential increase. Is there no other way to fund the firehouse?
A new firehouse clearly is needed. I’m for it.
Would be interesting to know what the plans are for the space the fire department move will open up for other uses.
After U. City built a new firehouse, the police department took over the former firehouse attached to City Hall for a police vehicle garage. I wouldn’t be surprised if Maplewood did the same thing.
Be sure to build a Taj Mahal like Brentwood did a few years ago.
Let’s not emulate Brentwood in any way. It’s interesting to note that modern building codes have caused the number of structure fires to drop yet we keep building more and better firehouses staffed with highly paid firemen. $6,000,000 for a new building? How much would it cost to contract with a neighboring municipality that already has excess emergency capapcity?
Emergency response is already handled through a combind command center in Richmond Heights. The municipalities do share resources.
The Maplewood firehouse is overstretched. We can expand Maplewood’s capability or join resources with other municipalities and pay to do so. The closer the firetruck, the faster the response.
nomdeplume –
You are right, there are some newer commercial structures in Maplewood; however, residential homes (many homes are 100+ years old) and much of it’s infrastructure is aging and not being renovated at any significant rate. We do work collaboratively with many fire/emergency departments around us; however none have any “excess” capacity that I am aware of. Seems to me that the tax payers of a community with “excess” emergency capacity would be questioning why they would be paying for excess capacity. Most of the municipalities around us are run very well; all have balanced emergency capabilities with other municipalities helping when needed. I recommend that you take a tour of our firehouse; the aging and tiny space is not what I would consider ideal working conditions nor capable of being retrofitted with modern day capabilities. Call the fire department to arrange for a tour or come visit during it’s open hours of 6-8pm on Wednesday’s.
Shawn Faulkingham
Councilmember Ward 3
City of Maplewood, MO
Shawn –
Can you clarify your point and why you include Maplewood’s homes in your discussion of structures not being renovated “at any significant rate?” I and many of my neighbors have made substantial improvements to our historic homes. I don’t see how it fits into your argument about the firehouse. Are you implying we should be building new housing stock to replace the old homes?
Or are you providing more explanation for why a new firehouse needs to be built? Now that I read it again, it makes more sense, although I do think you should feel encouraged that more people than you might think are updating wiring and other things on their homes.