A new Greenwood fire station would also add more land to the city’s largest park and update a road that residents have said is unable to handle the traffic in the area.
The city is considering buying a 40-acre property on the north side of Cutsinger Road, west of Freedom Park. Only about 5 acres of the property would be needed for the new fire station, which would replace Fire Station 93 on Stop 18 Road. And the city is also planning to widen and rebuild Cutsinger Road, where residents have said the road is unable to handle the traffic from new development on the west side of the city.
For several years, city officials have been searching for a suitable site to construct a new fire station that would replace the 31-year-old station at 255 W. Stop 18 Road. Officials have said the station needs replaced to better meet the needs of a changing fire department, provide a way for the department to expand to match future population growth and be located closer to where much of the new home development is taking place in the city.
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While the station would be designed to be able to accommodate future growth, the city doesn’t plan to add any additional firefighters immediately, Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers said.
The land the city is considering is closer to where new neighborhoods are underway or planned in Greenwood, making it an ideal location as the city continues to grow, Greenwood Deputy Mayor Terry McLaughlin said.
To fund the project, the Greenwood City Council is considering borrowing $5.1 million to cover the cost of purchasing the land and building the new fire station. The city plans to spend about $1.1 million, to purchase the property, which is the average of two appraisals. The cost of building the new station is estimated at $3.9 million. Earlier this month, the Greenwood Board of Public Works and Safety approved spending $250,000 to hire consultants to create designs for the new fire station.
The city is able to borrow money for the project without increasing property taxes because the new loan would replace previous loans for roadwork that expired this year, Greenwood Controller Greg Wright said.
In addition to the loan, the Greenwood Parks and Recreation Board would contribute $250,000 to the project from fees the city collects from the development of new homes. The Greenwood Redevelopment Commission would also contribute $100,000, using funds collected through the city’s tax increment financing, or TIF, districts. Both boards would still need to approve that funding.
Construction would likely begin in the springwith the new fire station opening in 2020, McLaughlin said.
What new amenities could be added to Freedom Park on the additional 35 acres haven’t been determined, McLaughlin said.
Officials also don’t know yet when the work to Cutsinger Road will be done, McLaughlin said.
While Cutsinger Road is one of many roads the city plans to work on, the fire station project will speed up that timeline, he said.
Last year, residents raised concerns about traffic issues on Cutsinger Road when a 68-home neighborhood was proposed, saying turning onto Honey Creek Road or Averitt Road can be difficult due to traffic. Cutsinger Road was previously a county road prior to the area being annexed by Greenwood, and wasn’t built to the same width as city streets, McLaughlin said.
