Roswell plans to build a new fire station on Woodstock Road (Ga. 92) near Leita Thompson Memorial Park. Exactly where is under debate. Fire Chief Ricky Burnette wants the city to move forward with designs for Fire Station No. 8 on a site that requires prep work to build, 11570 Mountain Park Road. But Mayor Lori Henry, would rather the city weigh its options and consider the city’s park location, where there is more space to choose from, or look for a land site in better condition than the current choice.
“I’m not certain that’s the right site,” said Henry. “We’re talking about piping a lot of streams; putting a fire station on a very economically challenged piece of property.”
On Monday, Burnette asked the mayor and the public safety committee to move forward with design for a 9,500 square-foot firehouse on the property. The design budget is $445,622. The station would cost $4.8 million to build, which includes $1.7 million in site work.
Burnette said studies of Roswell's fire stations and response times show a fire station is needed in West Roswell near Highway 92 and Mountain Park Road. The average emergency response time for all of Roswell is just over 6 minutes, he reported. "The response time for what would be Station 8 territory is just over 9 minutes. We would benefit greatly from having a station there and improve our response times," said Burnette.
The committee voted to move the issue to a City Council work session.
About the Author
