The city of Bellevue is exploring grant opportunities and bank loans that could lead to construction of a new fire station in the city.
City officials will also hold a town hall meeting on Monday, May 9, to present options and take public comment on the possibility of consolidating with other fire departments in the south valley.
Region IV Development Planner Jeffrey McCurdy told the City Council on Thursday that an Idaho Community Development Block Grant, if awarded to the city, could provide initial funding to build a new fire station.
McCurdy said his organization helped the town of Oakley (population 300) acquire a municipal loan to build a four-bay fire station. He said the city plans to repay the loan under a 20-year lease. When the term of the lease ends, the city will own the fire station outright, McCurdy said.
The Bellevue Council members instructed McCurdy to work with city staff and to continue gathering information on potential funding mechanisms for a new station.
"We need to have options," said Councilman Dave Hattula.
One option would be to follow some or all of the recommendations to consolidate fire departments in the south valley, made by a consultant hired last year by Hailey and Wood River Fire & Rescue to study the benefits of consolidation.
Bellevue Fire Chief Greg Beaver will conduct a PowerPoint presentation at the Bellevue Elementary School on May 9 at 6:30 p.m. to address public concerns about the possibility of merging the Bellevue Fire Department with Wood River Fire & Rescue and/or the Hailey Fire department.
Beaver and other city officials will take public comment at the meeting and present some of the pros and cons of consolidating south valley fire departments.
In other Bellevue news:
( Safe Haven assisted living facility was granted a 30-day extension to comply with fire code standards or be closed down after Bellevue Fire Chief Greg Beaver learned that the state fire marshal authorized a new design for a fire alarm system at the facility.
"Let's hope we can put this behind us in a few weeks," he said.
( Local firm Galena Engineering was awarded a $200,000 grant to design a $500,000 water system upgrade project. The project includes installing fire hydrants on Main Street and expanding the size of water lines.
Tony Evans: tevans@mtexpress.com
