Fire Chief urges officials to use available funding for new station

by Dan Holland

Sept. 3 city council meeting

During a Sept. 3 city council meeting, Broadview Heights Fire Chief Jeff Hajek urged councilmembers to support using available funding to build a new fire station headquarters on the city campus along the south side of Faulhaber Memorial Drive.

Hajek said measures to build a new station, which would have included a tax increase, were put before residents in 2002 and 2021, with both issues failing at the polls.

“In 2001, the fire administration had told the city’s administration that there was a need for a new fire station to replace our almost 30- and 40-year-old fire stations,” Hajek said during the meeting. “That administration did not support the fire station or the fire department.

“The fire department had gone to the voters with a station similar in size to the one we are requesting today – the cost of that station was $4 million to the residents in 2002,” he continued. “In 2021, the cost was $12 million, and today that same station in size will cost us $15 million. I advised council in 2021 that the cost of a building fire station will do nothing but go up in price. We are only costing our residents more and more money the longer we wait, and the numbers prove that.”

Hajek said between grant funding already received and city income tax money, a new station could be built without having to put the issue before voters again.

“The money we have available for this station is income tax money that was not anticipated for the city to receive, and it can now be used to relieve the burden to our residents,” said Hajek.

Fire Station 2, located at 9455 Broadview Rd., would be closed if the new station is constructed. Station 1 at 3591 Wallings Rd. would remain in service.

Hajek said the existing Broadview Heights fire stations, built in 1963 and 1973, are the oldest stations in Cuyahoga County to have never been renovated or expanded with the exception of stations in East Cleveland and Parma Heights.

“It’s time to move forward and quit standing still and putting people at jeopardy in many ways,” said Hajek. “It’s time to build what we need with the money we have and not put our firefighters and residents in any more jeopardy. I’ll be asking the mayor to take this to council at the next council work session to move forward on a new fire station.”

Tollis Parkway barrier

Members of city council passed a resolution providing for the closure of Tollis Parkway at Amelia Drive. A barrier near the western end of the street, which had been in place for many years, was removed over the summer while repaving/asphalt work was completed on the roadway. A number of residents living on Amelia Drive and Falls Lane voiced opposition to the barrier removal during an Aug. 26 council work session, citing safety concerns due to increased traffic.

The resolution allows the city to reinstall a temporary barrier at the location while council members and Mayor Sam Alai discuss installation of a permanent operable gate that could be utilized by city safety forces during an emergency situation.

“The safety director [Alai] determined that there was an unsafe condition at the end of Tollis and Amelia, and that safety vehicles may need to get through there in an emergency situation,” Council President Robert Boldt said. “So, council has decided they will put the barrier up again temporarily until they resolve the issues at hand.”

“The short-term fix is in place, and then council will review the long-term solution with the administration, and we’ll get this fixed and move on,” Boldt added. “The mayor said that if council votes to put a barricade up, he’ll make sure that there’s a safe barricade in place, and we’ll move on from there.”

In other business, council members passed:

• An agreement with Hejduk-Cox and Associates Inc. for tennis court engineering and design services. The two outdoor tennis courts are to be included as part of the city’s 2025 Campus Improvement Project that will also include a basketball court and six pickleball courts to be built near the city’s community & recreation center.
• A one-year agreement with Arbata Coca-Cola beverages, LLC for beverage services at recreation fields in the city.
• A resolution accepting a 2023-2024 Drug Use Prevention Grant from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
• An agreement with Rush Truck Centers for truck repairs to a service department vehicle at a cost of $10,894.
• A resolution of appreciation to Kristopher Vajda for serving as a firefighter in the city for 32 years. ∞