By Tara Figurski
Staff Writer
Truro Township voters will be asked to approve a 2.5 mill levy on Nov. 8.
The levy is a five-year levy and, if approved, is expected to generate $5 million with $1.1 million being generated in its first year. Funds from the levy would be used to construct a new fire station, replacing the existing fire station at 6900 E. Main St., according to township officials
The levy is expected to cost the owner of a $100,000 home $88 a year in new taxes.
“The (fire station) was a Jmart grocery store,” said Truro Township Administrator Jason Nicodemus. “We took over the building in 1975. Building maintenance costs are sky rocketing.”
Trustee Barb Strussion said Jmart was very open and bare.
“That’s part of the problem. We retrofitted the building in the 1970s,” said Strussion.
Strussion said the building was never brought up to the standards of an efficient fire house. Constructing a new fire station is something trustees have been considering for years, she said, but never had the financial means to do so.
Trustees also considered fully renovating the building but that could cost $400,000, Strussion said.
“We have really bad drainage problems, electrical problems and roof problems,” she said. “If we can tear down we can start fresh.”
Trustee Pat Mahaffey said the building has never been adequate for its use.
“The roof is going bad,” Mahaffey said. “We are going to have to replace the roof. That’s probably $50,000. We just don’t have the kind of money it’s going to take to renovate.”
To get the funding for the necessary repairs, the township would still have to get a levy, Mahaffey said.
“I don’t want a levy to repair it,” Mahaffey said. “All we are going to have is a fixed up old building.”
Strussion said the fire station is centrally located so the fire station would stay at its current location at 6900 E. Main St.
There is some concern that township residents will think a new fire station isn’t necessary as the building looks fine from the outside. But there are a host of issues on the inside, Strussion said.
“The dorms are ridiculous,” she said. “The bathroom facilities are archaic. I don’t know how they fit in those tight facilities.”
There are also drainage issues with the existing facility, Strussion said. In the beginning the drains were not pitched properly so there are drainage issues and the township has to bring someone in to unclog the drains, she said.
Mahaffey said there are sewer back ups in the plumbing, space that can’t be used and has gone to waste and heating and ventilation systems are ancient.
“Everything is wrong with the building,” he said.
Constructing a new fire station could also save Truro Township money in the future with the addition of items like efficient lighting, Strussion said.
If the levy is approved by voters in November, it could take at least three quarters of a year before any construction could occur. There is a preliminary plan in place but an architect would need to be hired to finalize any plans.
