The intersection of Birch Street and Malden Avenue remains Eau Claire fire chief Chris Bell’s preferred site for a new fire station, but whether the city can afford that location compared with two others remains uncertain. Bell told the Eau Claire City Council on Monday that the Birch-?Malden site is best because of its 5.4-acre size, its flat terrain, its close proximity to other roads and the fact it would reduce EMS and fire response times to some locations by 30 seconds to a minute. “For multiple reasons, that remains the preferred site,” Bell said. “Now it’s a matter of whether we can reach an agreement.” The council, Bell and other city staff met in closed session following Monday’s open-session meeting to discuss terms of the possible purchase of the Birch/?Malden property, owned by Agnes Smith.