New fire station has some Raleigh residents seeing red
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Some Wake County families have been fighting the city on a proposed new fire house. Residents say they don't want the new neighbor in the community, but city leaders say the stations needs to expand to keep up with emergencies.
Right now, Station 14 sits on Lake Boone Trail. The plan is to move it to Harden Road.
People living in the Meredith Woods subdivision have concerns, mainly about speeding fire trucks and blocked roads. Harden Road is in a residential neighborhood and the road is narrow where a new fire house would be built.
The Raleigh City Council has been mulling over the issue for quite some time. Tuesday, they made a decision. The Raleigh Fire Department was given the green light to go ahead and relocate the deteriorating fire house it is using now.
"[It's] small," said Raleigh Fire Chief John McGrath. "Even the ground, it's too small to build the type of property that we need to protect the city and future needs as the city continues to grow."
The city council's decision has residents seeing and wearing red. They showed up at the council meeting wearing the color.
"We would like to protect the integrity of our existing neighborhood," said Meredith Woods HOA Co-President Jennifer Haygood. "There is concern with the traffic. There is a Montessori school that is going to be built directly across the street. That issue with traffic, we think, will be more problematic than what people believe."
McGrath says the department has looked at other lots to build the new fire station, but they were too expensive. The city purchased the lot on Harden for $590,000.
"Overall decisions are made based on what is affordable to meet the standards that we can continue to protect the public," said McGrath.
Plans are moving forward. The department already has the design. They just need the permits and to award a contract. The department hopes to break ground the beginning of next year.
