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Posted: 06/20/12

Village grants utility
use for new fire station

by CHRIS GRAY
Observer Staff Writer

      A new Bruce-Romeo Fire Department station that will replace the Village of Romeo's station is closer to becoming a reality.
       The Village Board of Trustees voted 5-1 to permitting water and sewer usage outside of village limits for the Bruce-Romeo Fire Department's proposed substation. Village President Mike Lee was the dissenting vote while Trustee Margaret Feldhus was not present at the June 18 meeting.
       Fire Chief Floyd Shotwell requested the village grant water and sewer taps for the substation, which would be built on a parcel of land near Fire Station 1 on East Gates Street. The current station already has water and sewer, so this would be an extension of that, but village ordinance requires the department to gain permission from the village.
       "I'd hate to go hire an architect and do the building and I don't have water and sewer," Shotwell said.
       The proposed substation would be 3,500 square feet with 1,200 square feet of that dedicated as living quarters. Shotwell said the plan is to move the personnel from Fire Station 3, located in the village on Rawles, to the substation and have them serve Romeo from there.
       The building, constructed in 1973, is currently leased to the department for $1 a year, but doesn't have adequate living quarters and has high utility bills due to its historic nature.
       "Utilities are very high there, and we'd like to make a better living quarters for 'em than what we have at Station 3," Shotwell said.
       Lee said he was in support of maintaining safety, but wanted to see some more detailed plans on what it was the department was proposing.
       "We were sitting here thinking that the downtown village was going to have a (fire) station," he said after the meeting. "All of a sudden this is thrown on us, and all of a sudden they want to hook up with no plans that had ever been given to the village."
       Village Clerk Marian McLaughlin said the department should also adhere to the lease agreement.
       Other members of the board were in support of granting the approval, saying the village had enough capacity in its system that it wouldn't cause problems.
       "I guess I'd like to see some plans, but I am in favor of what you're talking about," said Trustee Mike Cregar.
       Shotwell said the department considered a location at 33 Mile and McKay roads since water and sewer is already available there, but wanted a location closer to the village to provide faster response times.
       The substation is estimated to cost $280,000. The department looked into constructing the new building since payments for Station 2 on Van Dyke north of 35 Mile Road are coming to a close within a few months. Shotwell said the substation's design will be similar to Station 1.
       He said he would like to see restrooms attached to the building for people to use when at a splash park the Romeo Kids Foundation is proposing to build nearby. He added, though, that the restrooms could be removed from the plans if they aren't desired.