Q: Can the City relocate the Fire Department to the 6322 Hickman location which the city owns?

A: The 6322 Hickman address is not feasible for the city to use as a fire station. First, the value of the commercial property makes it cost prohibitive to place a non-profit building on it. The City would lose money normally collected in taxes from commercial business. Although the City owns the property currently, the City plans to make the property available to for developers for a commercial buyer to occupy. Second, the location of the building is not a convenient spot for a fire station. Ideally, when a fire station is placed, it should be as close to the center of the city as possible. The current location of the fire department allows its members to respond quickly to any location in the city without difficulty. Also, the current location makes it convenient for members to respond to the station after hours for responses without having to negotiate high traffic areas that may hamper response such as the Hickman/63rd Street area. Finally, the cost to retrofit the building at 6322 Hickman could reach a level that easily equals or surpasses that of a new building.