THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 24, 1995 TAG: 9509240047
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PERRY PARKS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Long : 113 lines
Assistant Fire Chief Billy Pritchard shows a walk-in-closet-sized space that's half-bedroom, half-office.
He points to cardboard boxes lying haphazardly in sleeping quarters because there's no room for storage.
He leads to the two showers that are currently serving a dozen firefighters in a building built for four.
It's been this way for more than a year now, since the city's downtown fire station was condemned and the entire firefighting staff moved into the station on Halstead Boulevard.
As the City Council continues months of confusion and bickering over where to put a new station, fire officials continue to make due with their circumstances.
``Yeah, it's frustrating,'' Pritchard said. ``But they've got an agenda to go by, and we've got to deal with it.''
The firefighters in close quarters have registered few complaints, officers say. But the expressions and quiet nods from the men huddled around two small tables for a late lunch Thursday made clear their distaste for the situation.
``I'm amazed we haven't had more problems with people clashing out here,'' Pritchard said. ``I think they've done an excellent job of being packed together like they have.''
The City Council will hold a special meeting in an effort to smooth over differences that have left council members baffled about what they agreed to do this spring and what they want to do now.
After the Elizabeth Street station was shut down because of structural problems last summer, a committee of council members David Bosomworth, Anita Hummer and Jimi Sutton began searching for a site for a new building.
In May, the group settled on city-owned property on Knobbs Creek Drive, a mile north of downtown. The council went through all the motions, including a public hearing and rezoning, to make the station a reality - without dissent from a single resident or council member. An architect was hired to do preliminary site work.
Then, in August, a year after the city lost its Elizabeth Street station, several council members decided they didn't like the direction they were moving in.
Suddenly, Hummer, Lloyd Griffin and A.C. Robinson spoke up with concerns that downtown would be left without a fire station if the Knobbs Creek Drive site was used.
They said residents were afraid the station would be too far away from downtown properties.
Enhancing those concerns was the fact that the station would be across railroad tracks from downtown.
The council briefly considered shifting to Elizabeth Street property across from Sheep-Harney Elementary - until it discovered the city doesn't own the land.
Since then, the process has been stalled.
The fire station issue wasn't on Monday's council agenda, but Mayor H. Rick Gardner was frustrated enough to raise it toward the end of the meeting.
``It's our responsibility to use the taxpayers' money as wisely as possible, and we had done that as we went through the process of finding that site, having it rezoned,'' Gardner chided.
``Now, council has said, let's find another site. A new site's not going to be found for less than $100,000.
``I don't understand why we sit here and back away from a logical solution to our fire department dilemma.''
Gardner's statements touched off another round of debate on the project, with members arguing over whether they had formally voted to put the new station at the Knobbs Creek site.
City minutes indicate the council never acted on a specific motion to put the fire station on Knobbs Creek Drive, but that it took every step with the stated intention of putting the station there.
``There's no question that we announced, `We are now going to have a public hearing for a firehouse at Knobbs Creek,' '' Bosomworth said on Friday.
``In my mind, the site selection had been made. But I think in other people's minds, we didn't vote on a firehouse.''
Bosomworth said both the engineers who condemned the Elizabeth Street station and the architect hired for the Knobbs Creek property have been invited to Tuesday's meeting.
With more information, the council may reconsider rebuilding on the original site or rule out some options that are being revisited.
Fire officials have said the Knobbs Creek site would be close enough to downtown to provide adequate service for the area. And having two stations at opposite ends of town makes it easier to converge on a downtown blaze.
Fire Chief Tedd Melvin added Thursday that the site would help accommodate city growth.
``Annexation is going to go further north,'' Melvin said. ``Only thing we're trying to do, is plan ahead.''
The council members who now object to the Knobbs Creek site say they are doing their job: listening to voters who want the station to be downtown.
Councilwoman Myrtle Rivers said Monday she had gone along with the Knobbs Creek Drive site originally but has since been hearing from constituents.
``I do want to listen to the citizens who take up the time to call me,'' Rivers said. ``I am concerned about the businesses downtown. I don't want to do anything that would cause a business to be in limbo downtown if a fire came.''
But others say that while the council is bogged down, the city still has only one station. Plus, it's paying $600 a month to rent a downtown administrative office.
``And we said that we would work as rapidly as we could to resolve the situation,'' Bosomworth said at Monday's meeting.
``I wouldn't say it's intolerable conditions. But I'm glad I'm not over there.
``We've got all our assets in one building now. . . . We need to bite the bullet and move on.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
DREW C. WILSON/Staff
A dozen Elizabeth City firefighters are crammed into the Halstead
Boulevard station, built for four, while they wait for a new
building.
by CNB