Just sell it
The village Curtiss and the Owen-Withee-Curtiss Fire District can’t seem to agree on who’s getting the worse deal when it comes to the village’s fire hall. Village officials says the building is a financial millstone around the neck of local taxpayers, while the OWC board says the district shouldn’t be forced to take on a greater share of the village’s building expenses.
In reality, the fire station should already belong to the fire district. The village got stuck building the 10,560 square foot hall in 2015, but it should have really been the district that picked up the tab for the building. According to current village offi cials, their predecessors felt compelled to forge ahead with the building because otherwise the village could have been left without a fire hall.
Village officials are now having serious conversations about looking for other tenants. It should never get to this point. The village should not be thinking about renting out its fire station to an entity other than a fire department. As village officials themselves have pointed out, this would make everyone in the village and the surrounding area pay for more insurance because they would no longer be within a five-mile radius of an active fire station.
Instead, the building should be sold to the fire district for a fair and equitable price. Fire district officials have repeatedly said they would rather just own the building if they are going to be asked to pay more as renters. Village officials should take this as a sign that the district board members are willing to negotiate.
Of course, the village has already offered to sell the building to the district for $1.3 million. The district does not appear to be taking this offer seriously, though they did agree to pay for all of the utilities they use at the station.
We like an idea thrown out by DPW Larry Swarr at last week’s meeting, of cutting the price in half in order to expedite a deal with the district.
“Obviously, if they own it, then they’re going to be responsible for all utilities and all the maintenance. The village might actually come out smelling better.”
Actually, we would say that the price should be a little higher than half. As trustee John Unruh has pointed out, the village still owes about $770,000 on the building. We think that would make a great sales price for the fire district to consider. If the district could come up with the money to essentially cover the rest of the loan payments, the village could dislodge a $55,000-per-year parasite feeding on the local tax levy.
Village officials may be bothered by not “getting more” for their building, but they have to remember that it was built as a public service facility, not a moneymaker for the village. Not only did the village receive more than two acres of free land to build the station on, it also got a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant to defray the costs. Yes, the village also got stuck with an expensive loan that it’s been paying off for the last five years, but it needs to consider the benefits to village residents before it rents the building to the highest bidder.
There’s a reason people’s property insurance rates improve if they’re within a five-mile radius of a fire station. Having a facility dedicated to putting out fires anytime, day or night, adds a layer of protection to everyone who lives within the village. That applies to everyone, from the person with the smallest house to the owner of the largest company. Not to mention, having an ambulance in the village is a literal lifesaver.
Curtiss needs a fire station, pure and simple. With four new apartment buildings going up, there’s talk of the village’s population nearly doubling. That’s all the more reason to keep the fire station operational. If the village can offload its debt payments, it could also come up with some money for police protection. That would be a true win-win for the village.
The Tribune-Phonograph editorial board consists of publisher Kris O’Leary and editor Kevin O’Brien
