ROGERS — The Fire Department and Police Department got early Christmas presents Tuesday when aldermen approved the design of a fire station and buying special weapons and tactical team vehicle.
There was some discussion in the Finance Committee meeting about using general reserve for the two projects.
At A Glance
Council Action
Rogers' City Council met Tuesday and approved:
• The Fire Department to respond to hazardous material emergencies in northeast Benton County. The county will pay the city $6,271 for the service.
• Rezoning 2303 W. Eighth St. from light industrial to highway commercial.
• Rezoning 26.9 acres south of the Shores and west of Mount Hebron from agricultural to single-family residential with four units per acre.
Source: Staff Report
“I’m not against either project, but I do have a concern about using general reserve funds,” said Marge Wolf, alderwoman.
Wolf said she thought it was better to plan for such items rather than pull the money from reserve.
Capt. Hayes Minor, commander of the criminal investigation division and the SWAT team, explained the vehicle was a necessity during the discussion. The makeshift SWAT vehicle the police have been using is no longer safe to drive. The new vehicle has a $265,000 price tag.
Greg Hines, mayor, who usually doesn’t comment during committee meetings, jumped into the discussion at one point.
“When I became mayor, the SWAT team was underfunded and in bad shape. We had patrol officers responding, rather than SWAT team members, to some dangerous situation. We have been rebuilding this section of the Police Department for three years,” Hines said.
Casey Wilhelm, finance director, explained buying a vehicle from reserve isn't unusual.
“Actually, as our cash reserves grow, it a good idea to use the money for equipment and projects that benefit our residents. It usually saves us money in the long run,” Wilhelm said.
Committee members recommended the council approve the purchase.
“I just want to point out our request is $100,000 lower than the police request,” joked Tom Jenkins, fire chief, when his turn came to address the committee.
Committee members approved the $133,749 contract with architect Don Spann to design the new fire station.
“We are doing this a little different than in the past,” said Jenkins.
“We are asking Don to design a fire station that can become a template for the next fire stations we plan to build on the west. There will have to be some modifications of the template to fit different needs or the size and shape of the property. For the most part, this design will save on future design costs at least for a few years,” Jenkins added.
This is not the first time a fire station has been moved to meet changing needs in the city.
Fire Station No. 2 and Fire Station No. 3, 400 Hudson Road, were both opened in 1974. Fire Station No. 3 was moved to the Rogers Municipal Airport in 2002 to provide better fire protection on the northeast side of the city, leaving Fire Station No. 2 as the oldest fire station in the city, Fire Department officials said.
“The station is only moving about a block to 1810 New Hope Road, but that block will save us about 40 seconds on an emergency run. Forty seconds may not seem like much, but our goal is to be on the scene after the call in 240 seconds. This will make us about one-seventh faster,” Jenkins said.
The new station will likely be a two-story structure with about 7,000 feet with three bays, sleeping quarters, a kitchen and day room.
Construction on the station is likely to begin next year. The old Fire Station No. 2 will be used by the city for other purposes.
“I think moving ahead with the design of the fire station is good for the community. It will be close to the police department, enabling the departments to work together in extreme emergencies,” said Andrew Hatfield, alderman.