When it was built in 1964, Mount Vernon’s downtown fire station was the only one in the city.
It housed volunteer firefighters who responded to less than 500 calls a year for the city’s 8,800 residents.
Fifty-five years later, the station is now one of three in the Mount Vernon Fire Department, which responds to about 6,100 calls a year in a city of 35,000.
Soon, the number of calls will surpass 7,000 a year, Chief Bryan Brice said.
“We’re at capacity,” he said. “We don’t have the space available to do the job appropriately.”
To address space, safety and efficiency issues at the three stations, the city is asking voters to approve a nearly $30 million bond proposal.
“We have deficient buildings that are impeding our capabilities to deliver fire service,” Mount Vernon Mayor Jill Boudreau said. “The public deserves to know that and they deserve to make a decision on that.”
If the bond is approved, property owners would pay an additional 68 cents per $1,000 in assessed property value in property taxes.