COOS BAY — There is still uncertainty about where to build a new fire station in downtown Coos Bay, but the price tag has been set.

The Coos Bay City Council gave its assent Tuesday to a $6.9 million bond measure to be placed on the May ballot. If passed, it would cover the cost of buying land, constructing a new station and purchasing new equipment to fill it.

The decision to proceed with a bond campaign was made despite uncertainty about where a new station would be sited.

The City Council has indicated it would prefer to build at the current location of the First Presbyterian Church, near the intersection of Elrod Avenue and Fourth Street.

The Rev. Bill Taylor said his congregation is willing to consider an offer from the city, but has yet to be contacted.

“The church hasn’t made a decision, because we haven’t had an offer from the city,” he said. “We are waiting to hear from them.”

Fire Chief Stan Gibson said negotiations will begin soon. If the church decides not to sell, Gibson said the city will continue to investigate other options in the area between Bennett and Elrod avenues, and Fourth and 10th streets.

“I’m very optimistic we will be able to come to an agreed upon price to purchase the (church) property,” he said. “But if not, we will look at other options in the area.”

Mayor Jeff McKeown said the decision to proceed with a bond campaign was made in light of the need for a new station, the retirement of previous bonds and the strong possibility  of an even larger bond measure on the November ballot.

He said the Coos Bay School Board’s intention to ask voters for $59.95 million in November to upgrade its schools led to the decision to go for May.

“We felt having two measures on a ballot might cloud the issues,” he said.

He also noted that a series of bonds approved in 1987 to pay for sewer upgrades expired last year. So while voters wouldn’t see a drop in their property taxes, they wouldn’t see an increase, either.  

“You would just be trading one debt for another,” Finance Director Janell Howard said to the council.

If passed, the city estimates taxpayers would pay about 74 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. That falls in the middle of what voters were paying on the last round of bonds in recent years, Howard said.

The council was unanimous in its decision to authorize the bond measure. Even Councilor Mark Daily, who previously expressed skepticism about the demand for a new station, was convinced of its importance.

“If you don’t think we need a new station, visit the one we have,” he said. “I think you will come out thinking we need a new station more than you did when you went in there.”

The existing facility, at the intersection of Fourth Street and Anderson Avenue, was built in 1955. Gibson noted that the facility does not meet current seismic code. It also offers cramped quarters to the 30 volunteers, 15 career personnel and six cadets who operate there, he said.

The new facility

While the council was in agreement about the need for the facility, several members noted they will need to work hard to convince voters.

Councilor Jon Eck recommended reactivating the Fire Station Siting Committee to help lead the campaign.

New Councilor Gene Melton agreed.

“It’s going to take a lot of public relations,” he said.

Gibson said an online poll was conducted over the weekend with mixed results. As of Tuesday, 47 percent of respondents had voted yes, 35 percent had marked no and the rest were undecided. There had only been a total of 47 votes cast.

“I don’t think we got the response we wanted,” Gibson said.

Gibson said a more thorough survey of residents was not possible because of the desire to get a ballot on the May ballot.

Despite the recent urgency, discussions about the fire station have been under way for about 15 years, becoming more pronounced recently.

Last year, the city considered a  number of sites in the downtown area for siting a station. Locations included behind City Hall, on a grassy hill next to Kruse Avenue, in the Fourth Street parking lot and at the intersection of Fourth and Curtis Avenue.

At its Feb. 20, 2007 meeting, the Urban Renewal Agency voted 4-3 to site a new facility in the middle of the city-owned parking lot. On March 7, the council changed its mind, deciding the best location would be at the intersection of Curtis Avenue and Fourth Street.

Then in June, Chief Gibson learned that the church might be willing to consider an offer for its land, but only from the city.

The church is located at the preferred intersection, Gibson said, noting it is in a central location and has some bedrock to provide foundation stability.

Given the desire to construct the station on stable ground, the Curtis site is no longer a preferred site, though it is still an option.

“You don’t want firefighters to be the first ones we have to rescue in the event of a disaster,” Gibson said.