MELBOURNE, Fla. – Controversy over a new fire station is back in the spotlight nine months after some neighbors thought it was all over and they won.
After Mayor Paul Alfrey and the city council rejected the proposal last summer, Denise Ketchum told your Melbourne Community Correspondent James Sparvero she thought the issue was settled.
Ketchum can see Jimmy Moore Park from her backyard and said she didn’t want to trade that peaceful green space for a large new fire station.
The city says it’s outgrown the 60-year-old fire station that’s next to the park.
“Ugly, just ugly,” Ketchum said to be going through the debate again. “Here we are back to square one.”
At an open meeting Monday night at city hall, neighbors might be a little more hopeful to hear the city says it’s also considering building the large new fire station here by the muscle car museum near Sarno and Wickham roads.
There are no homes there, but unlike the park, the city would have to spend a million dollars to buy the land.
The city said the park location would be the cheapest, need the least amount of permitting, and by a few seconds, be the fastest for response times.
Sparvero asked fire chief Shane Leetch about the pushback from neighbors.
“If our community would rather us be somewhere else, then, that’s what the council has to decide,” the chief said.
Ketchum said if the city builds the fire station in the park, she’ll move.
“They need to dig deep in their pockets, buy some property a little farther, a mile down the street,” she said. “The fire station goes up, I am no longer going to live here, period.”
After Monday night’s discussion with neighbors, which no action will be taken on, Chief Leetch said he thinks the council might vote again as soon as next month.
We’ll let you know as soon as we find out.