Rezoning for Fire Station Gets Nod from Decatur, AL, Officials

Mar. 5—A proposed rezoning for the Flint Volunteer Fire Department created more angst than expected for the Decatur City Council this week.

The department asked the city to change the zoning of 1.1 acres at 114 Oxmore Flint Road S.W. from RSF-10, residential, to Institutional, so it can build a new fire station.

Flint Fire Chief Jason Haggard said in January that they are planning a 9,600-square-foot station with five bays, a meeting room, kitchen, office and restrooms at an estimated cost of between $1.3 million and $1.5 million.

When Decatur annexed Flint City in the 1980s, the Flint Volunteer Department continued to operate. Its coverage area is outside of the city limits even though the station is in Decatur, he said.

The Planning Commission voted to recommend the rezoning, but the City Council had its doubts as a 3-2 vote on the issue Monday showed.

Rachel Keith and her husband live on Northland Road across from the Flint fire station. She said they knew the fire station existed when they moved into their home 20 years ago.

"What we did not anticipate was a significant expansion of the Flint Volunteer Fire Department in the middle of our heavily populated neighborhood," Keith said.

She said the property next to the fire station had a fence around its for the first 10 years they lived there, but then the Fire Department bought the property, removed the fence and built two storm shelters.

Keith said there has also been a problem with transparency since the department didn't notify the neighbors of any of its plans, especially about the fire station.

"We only became aware of the detailed plans by watching the Planning Commission meet online back in January," she said. "We spoke with several neighbors who told us they hadn't been contacted either."

She said the new fire station plan "raises some concerns for me and my husband like increased traffic on a narrow road with no sidewalks where children and families walk regularly."

"More volunteer response means more traffic and personal vehicles and trucks, expanding training activities," Keith said.

She said two damaged vehicles have been sitting on Fire Department property since it did a training activity in October.

"Those vehicles are still sitting there with ripped off bumpers and things like that right across the street from my house," she said.

Keith said they are unsure why the department needs an additional facility, fire truck and equipment if they don't expect their call volume to grow. She suggested Flint Volunteer Fire Department find a new location for its new station.

"We are asking for smart planning, long-term thinking and planning that is involved in transparency and consideration for the safety of the neighborhood where we live," she said.

Haggard said he doesn't know what the future entails so he can't say whether the department's call volume will grow, shrink or stay the same.

"We depend on ( Morgan County) 911 for our calls," Haggard said. "It changes from one year to the next."

He said the old building is outdated and doesn't have enough room for today's firefighting requirements.

Haggard said they need to add heavy-duty commercial washers to clean turnout gear and a cascade system to refill their breathing systems. They don't have space for this new equipment in the current building.

Not having the space has meant having to take turnout gear and breathing systems to other volunteer fire departments for cleaning and bottle refills after responding to a smoke-filled call, he said.

Council President Kyle Pike and council members Barry Bullard and Terrance Adkins voted to rezone the property.

Pike said the main driver behind his vote was the city sold this property to the Flint Volunteer Fire Department years ago.

"That was the city's intent," Pike said.

Pike said he understands the neighbors' concerns, and it was a tough decision, but the Fire Department won't be running more calls just because they have a newer, large building.

"One thing I'd like for the Volunteer Fire Department to do is work to keep the property well maintained in way that's supportive of the neighborhood surrounding them," Pike said.

Bullard called it a tough votes and said he feels for the residents, "but they ( Flint Fire) are not going to move. It's been a Fire Department for a long time."

Bullard, who serves on the Planning Commission, said Haggard had a better explanation at the Planning Commission about Flint VFD's plans.

Adkins obviously struggled with his decision on how to vote, putting his head in his hands with a short delay before supporting the rezoning.

"I feel for the residents," Adkins said afterward. "But when they said they wouldn't be taking any more calls than they take, and it's more structural improvements that are kind of shoring up the department, that's what made me lean in favor of the department."

Council members Carlton McMasters and Pam Werstler voted against the rezoning. Both said they had several residents of the neighborhood around the Flint Volunteer Fire Department, including the Keiths, voice their opposition to the rezoning and the department's plans.

"Oftentimes, residents oppose rezoning. That's just the nature of rezoning," McMasters said. "However, with this one their opposition felt more valid. Long-term planning (for this property) is for residential development."

Werstler said she was also on the fence before voting against the measure. She said several problems with how the Fire Department handled the issue led to her no vote. She said she doesn't think department leadership communicated very well about its plans with neighbors.

She said she wondered why they didn't just expand to the rear of the existing fire station. While she said she supports the storm shelters, she said it appears to her that they were built without a variance from the Board of Zoning Adjustment.

Werstler said several things almost made her vote for the measure, including that the city sold the Fire Department the lot of the original fire station.

She said Fire Department leadership were also unclear about some things.

"They might grow; they might not grow. Do they plan to buy another fire truck?" she said.

Werstler said she thinks it's great that they have the storm shelters, but the department is in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

"All of those things made me doubt whether I needed to vote yes," Werstler said. "All of those things didn't give me the warm fuzzies, so I voted against it."

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