In August 2014, Ann Arbor officials announced renovations to three of the city’s fire stations: Ann Arbor Fire Station No. 3, followed by Stations No. 4 and then No. 5.
ANN ARBOR FIRE Department stations are undergoing renovations to their bathrooms and locker rooms. The projects were included in the fiscal year 2015 adopted budget.
Work at Station No. 3 (2130 Jackson Ave.) was scheduled to begin in late August and last until mid-September. The work was, in fact, finished Sept. 26, a bit behind schedule. Now that renovations at Station No. 3 are complete, work at Station No. 4 (2415 Huron Parkway) is slated to begin last through late-October.
A major issue in the 2012 City Council races was a proposed reorganization of the city’s fire department.
Former Fire Chief Chuck Hubbard recommended the city close fire stations to concentrate the department’s resources and provide quicker responses to fires.
Hubbard recommended closing three stations and reopening the one at Stadium and Packard. That station was quietly closed several years ago. Hubbard’s plan was to see the city switch from a five-station model to a three-station model.
Outraged citizens lambasted both Hubbard and City Administration Steve Powers at public meetings held in response to the proposed reorganization of the AAFD.
In his unsuccessful 2012 bid to oust incumbent Margie Tall, Ward 3 Council member Jack Eaton (D) reportedly said, “The proposal to close fire stations is on the immediate horizon and alarms me. I think that is not the correct manner to address the problems with fire response times.”
Eaton lost to Teall by fewer than 20 votes then went on to win in 2013, unseating 14-year incumbent Marcia Higgins with 64.5 percent of the vote.
In 2012, the public was told that the Ann Arbor Fire Department “could go down from five to three stations later this year after the Stadium bridges reopen, unless city officials have a change of heart or the City Council opposes it.”
That is exactly what happened after the election of Ward 1 Council member Kailasapathy and Ward 4 Council member Eaton.
Eaton, who has remained critical of cutbacks in public safety over the last several years, has pushed for more robust fire fighter staffing. He has been joined by a majority of Council members.
Now, as opposed to closing the city’s fire stations, the buildings are getting much-needed renovations.
Construction is expected to last three to four weeks at each station; a week has been scheduled in between the two projects. Only one station will be closed at a time. Construction schedules for each station, once available, will be posted on the fire department’s website, www.a2gov.org/fire.
During construction, staffing levels have not be reduced. Fire station No. 3 personnel were temporarily relocated to fire station No. 1 (downtown), and fire station No. 4 personnel will be temporarily relocated to fire station No. 6 (Briarwood Mall area).
As a separate project, to be managed by the University of Michigan, fire station No. 5 on the university’s North Campus is also scheduled for renovations (masonry work and exterior door replacements).
Once construction is underway, station No. 5 staff will be relocated to station No. 1. While this construction schedule has not yet been finalized, work will not occur at the same time as the other stations’ renovations. Station No. 5 renovations are expected to take three to four days to complete.