FIRE STATION PROPOSAL IS A WELCOME ADDITION

Cape Girardeau city administrators have included in the city's five-year capital improvements program a prop~osal to replace Fire Station No. 3 with a new facility near the intersection of Sprigg and Bertling. The city council will consider the capital improvements plan at a special study session March 9. We believe the fire station proposal is a good one.

Built in 1951, the existing Fire Station No. 3 on Emerald Street is the city's oldest station, and its location on a curve in a narrow street at the very least presents a challenge to traffic in its residential neighborhood.

Also, the strategic placement of a new station further north likely would facilitate fire response times in an area that's apt to see a good deal of residential development in the next four or five years.

If the council approves the fire station proposal, $650,000 would be earmarked in 1995-1997 for construction of the facility. Most of the funds for the project would come from the issuance of Public Facilities Authority revenue bonds.

The tentative site for the proposed station is at the northwest corner of Bertling and Scott's Lane on a tract of land that's owned by the Cape Girardeau School District. When Sprigg Street is extended north to an intersection with the Lexington Avenue arterial project now under construction, that section of town will be a logical site for residential development. Major sewer improvements scheduled for the area also will make it more attractive to developers. Those capital improvements are expected to be completed by 1994.

A new fire station to serve existing north-side development, while meeting emerging demands in a developing part of town, is a prudent proposal. Certainly, if the school district decides to build a new school on its property there a plan that's been discussed residential growth would be further encouraged.

The new station would be expected to reduce fire response times to northern and northeastern sections of town. Fire response time is one of many criteria the Insurance Service Organization uses to assign the city's fire rating, which in 1988 was improved to Class 4.

Last year, the city opened a new Fire Station No. 2 on Mt. Auburn Road, which will enable more efficient fire protection service for the city's west side. Two relatively new, strategically placed fire stations certainly can't hurt efforts to attain a Class 3 fire rating.

Also, with its pending purchase of the water system from Union Electric, the city vows to make water system improvements that will further improve the likelihood of a lowered insurance rating, thereby lowering costs to individuals and businesses.

The fire station replacement project is included in the "Community Development" category of the capital improvements plan, a category reserved for special projects intended to accommodate the city's expected growth and development, and the plan to further improve Cape Girardeau's already excellent fire protection is appropriate. A new fire station in the north end of town would be a welcome addition to residential development facilitated by street and sewer improvements.

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