The Unified Government Commission is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 7, in a remote Zoom meeting to discuss fire station locations and the Restart WyCo plan, along with a budget workshop.
The closing of the Fairfax fire station is being opposed by the Fairfax Industrial Association, which has sent out emails in opposition.
The meeting will be conducted on the internet.
According to the agenda, the public may observe or listen to the meeting on YouTube or UGTV or through Zoom on the internet. They also can listen by telephone.
The UG held part of the fire station discussion last Thursday.
Officials proposed covering the Fairfax district from the Quindaro fire station. The industrial district could have the same amount of coverage from Quindaro as it has now, according to officials. The details of that plan, and of plans involving other fire stations in the community, are online in the meeting, posted on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bucOg3IQWU. (About 1:12 on the video)
UG Commissioner Gayle Townsend said at last week’s meeting on the fire station, “I think, on so many levels, it needs a fuller and deeper opportunity for discussion.”
Melissa Clark, executive director of the Fairfax Industrial Association, said during last week’s meeting, “We’re concerned about this and we’re opposing this.”
She questioned the response time from Station 5 that was cited in the Fire Department’s report. She said response time now wasn’t within four minutes. Also, the Fairfax dis district contributes $18 to $20 million a year in property taxes and is the economic backbone of Wyandotte County, she said. She didn’t understand why they wanted to take away the district’s fire station and protection.
Also, Clark said an agreement was made in 1985 with the automotive plant to have a fire station there, and the land for it was given to the city by the GM plant.
Clark said the need for a fire station there has increased, and there are around 10,000 employees there. The district receives nearly 100 percent of the volatile unleaded jet fuel for the bistate region, she said. She also said the Northeast Master Plan of 2018 includes keeping the Fairfax fire station. She added there are more than 20 railroad crossings that would delay other fire crews from getting into the Fairfax areas.
Brad Casemier, maintenance and engineering leader at the Owens-Corning plant at Fairfax, at last week’s meeting talked about the importance of the potential of fires, explosions and accidents. It is also important for the first fire group to get to the scene immediately.
Last year on the day before Thanksgiving, a semi came through their fence from a heavily traveled road north of the plant and struck the oxygen pipeline and backup oxygen system, he said. They were blessed there was not an explosion and don’t know to this day why there wasn’t, but the incident speaks to the potential between traffic and the type of equipment in the Fairfax area for fires and extreme events, he said.
J.R. Latenser said at the meeting that he agreed with the others who commented, and asked about trains blocking access at several points in Fairfax. Quindaro, 10th and 7th streets can be blocked by trains at any time, and sometimes are blocked for long times.
A representative from the International Association of Firefighters, Local 64, said they needed more time to respond to new information that was presented last Thursday.
According to the UG clerk’s webpage, anyone who wants to make a public comment on any item on the agenda may submit their comments by email by 3 p.m. on the day of the meeting to [email protected].
The agenda is online at https://wycokck.civicclerk.com/web/UserControls/DocPreview.aspx?aoid=1746.
To view the meeting on Zoom, visit
https://zoom.us/j/97673881264?pwd=TE5mSmxJQ3pNblQzNXJncFlMSG5zdz09
Password: 055909
To listen on telephone:
iPhone one-tap :
US: +16699009128,,97673881264# or +12532158782,,97673881264#
Or telephone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
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Webinar ID: 976 7388 1264
International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/abBrY9EHyP