VIDEO: The Ames City Council voted Tuesday night to put the future of Fire Station No. 2 on the November ballot, asking voters whether to relocate the station from its current Campustown location. Station No. 2 sits on Welch Avenue, surrounded by the bars and restaurants of Campustown near Iowa State’s campus. Fire Chief Rich Higgins said that proximity to the entertainment district can create safety challenges during peak nightlife hours.
Higgins says heavy pedestrian traffic, long bar lines across the station’s face, and multiple stoplights in the area can also slow response times. To improve coverage, the department is proposing a move about a mile away to a site on State Avenue, south of College Creek. The location would be more central to Station 2โs coverage area.
โItโll actually improve response time for the entire city, by 120 calls that weโre able to get to within five minutes that we arenโt able to get to right now,โ Higgins said. If voters approve, proceeds from selling the current station would be put toward the new facility. Iowa State University is providing the land for the new station at no cost, and an appraisal is underway to help estimate the potential taxpayer impact.
The measure will go before Ames voters in November. If approved, the city will finalize costs and timelines for construction and the sale of the existing station.
