June 02--LAWRENCE -- "Closed" signs sit outside city firehouses on Bailey Street and up on Tower Hill.
But soon, those signs could read "For Rent."
Mayor Daniel Rivera's administration wants the closed brick firehouses, each measuring about 6,000-square-feet, declared surplus city property. By doing so, the firehouses could then be rented out, renovated and create needed revenue for the city, Rivera said.
And the city already has a strong lead on a tenant; Lawrence General Hospital which Rivera announced in March will be providing ambulance service to the city. The firehouses would be rented and renovated by LGH and used as ambulance bays/substations, Rivera said.
Due to budget cuts, Engine 8 at 298 Ames St., has been closed since August 2009. Engine 9, at 161 1/2 Bailey St., was closed a little less than a year later in July 2010.
Located on opposite sides of the city, both firehouses are seen as "strategic" locations for the LGH ambulance bays, according to officials. Both buildings also need work, particularly the Bailey Street house which has roof issues.
"Right now they are empty. So this is an opportunity to get some rental income," said Rivera.
The city council's housing subcommittee has reviewed the proposal and given it the thumbs up. Councilors could vote as early as tomorrow night to declare the firehouses surplus city property. Then the city would publicly seek proposed uses for the properties and could then issue a rental agreement for the firehouses.
It's unclear how much LGH is willing to pay to lease the firehouses.
Rivera and Abel Vargas, City Business Development Director, explained any future rental agreements for the firehouses will contain a clause stipulating if the city again wants to use the firehouses to staff firefighters -- the tenant would need to vacate the property within 90 days.
City Councilor Marc Laplante, who chairs the housing subcommittee, said he believes using the firehouses as a "first responder satellite" is a good "second option" for the buildings.
"The Bailey Street station is in my district, so I know that the residents' first choice is to make that location a fire station," Laplante said. "Fortunately, any lease agreement will have a condition to return the usage to fire suppression when the firefighters' ranks increase."
Laplante described the firehouse rentals as "a good plan B that will bring revenue to the city, while renovating the properties at no cost to the city." He added the move will also reduce ambulance response times in the city.
But not everyone is viewing the move as a win-win for the city.
"It's always unfortunate to lose a firehouse. We harbor whatever hope there is for having firefighters work in those firehouses," said Lawrence Fire Lt. Eric Zahn, president of the Lawrence Firefighters Union Local 146.
He said union members were not involved in any discussions regarding the proposed future uses of Engines 8 and 9.
"The little information we've been given is that the city has plans for the properties and it's not for the future of the fire department," Zahn said.
Zahn pointed to Ladder 4, a fire station on Oxford Street that was closed, later housed ambulances and "is now a rooming house."
Firefighters, he said, would rather see fire trucks and firefighters in Engines 8 and 9, Zahn said.
But Rivera insisted the rental move was not being made to downsize fire department staffing levels in any way. He noted in the coming fiscal year, the fire department budget is increasing.
"The firehouses are empty now. And the city is essentially an absentee landlord," he said.
Equipment is currently being stored in Engine 8 on Tower Hill. Vargas said the city is working with the fire department to find alternative storage locations.
"We in no way want the fire department to suffer in any way shape or form," Vargas said.
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