Stimulus funds may build new firehouse

And the city council will name the new fire barn in honor of President Obama, from which the money has flowed. I just do not understand why the west ward location is now "ok". Is it not just about a block to a block and a half from the old place,which according to chiefy Mark was a dangerous and hazardous place. If a tank car derails on the west end of the rail yard,and a hazardous gas leaks, the block and a half won't make much difference! Of course we never have a south wind around here so perhaps the hazardous gas won't be blown north......! I'm just surprized that the tea baggers haven't jumped all over this one!!

And you are the expert in hazardous material, right? I say, if they have the ground and we can get a couple million from the fed's to pay for it, great deal! I remember a few years ago when the east ward site was proposed, the neighbors were all up in arms because they didn't want all the noise and red lights in their neighborhood. So, now there sits a building that work has stopped on and will probably just slowly rot away. If you, Mr. you've got to be kidding, know of a better place to put a public safety building where no one is going to complain and where it is away from all of the hazards, including van diest on the north end of town, speak up. I myself think this is a great deal and wish the city the best.

Dear supporter.....

You missed my drift so to speak, I am not against the west ward site nor the money to build it! My post was in jest more than anything.

What I was trying to get at is, during the last round of excuses as to why to build a new barn, was that the present site was too close to the tracks and if there was ever a spill the barn was too close, and the chemicals or whatever would be a hazard. I have worked in the field that deals with the commodities that are in those tank cars, and believe me if there is a big spill in the rail yard, the new barn at the west ward site will not be safe either, I did not claim to be an expert, but I do know enough about them to know what can happen. Have you ever watched the news about derailments when they have evacuated entire towns? Also the same stuff is also hauled through town every day on trucks, only a block away. My point is that the new site is not that much better than the present site, as far as spills at the rail yard or highway are concerned. We have been pumped full of B.S. from the Sheriff,the fire chief and the police chief as to why they all need new castles, and one of the major reasons was the location of the tracks behind the present location. Just call a spade a spade and not come up with the lame excuses to try to sell the idea, give us the plain truth and perhaps they would already have the new barn. I was perplexed as to why the county dropped the ball a few years back and let the west ward site get away, to begin with. I am not against the site, just the lame excuses as to why they need a new barn. The best excuse is that the old place is old, worn out,and has out grown it's usefulness. Stop treating the public like mushrooms, as the old saying goes. Keeping us in the dark and feeding us a bunch of ----.

You must have missed my post a number of weeks ago when Mr. Air Force got on his soap box and was yelling about the stimulus package, and the spending. I was for the 1/2 million for J St. and if we can get another 2 million for a new fire barn go for it, cause if we don't Lincoln or Omaha will have their hand out. One suggestion, if they are going for a new fire station, are they going to include the police station with it, if not, why not? And I will repeat my comment about the teabaggers, I figured they would be all over this.

Did I miss your drift? Maybe. However, I too know a little about hazardous material. I used to be a volunteer firefighter and know a little about that too, although I'd never call myself an expert in any of these fields. When it comes to the hazardous materials stuff, it's all over town. It could be the railroad, a gas station, a hardware store, a farm, its all over. So to find a location that isn't going to be close to a place where hazardous materials won't affect it is simply dreaming. Although I haven't visited with the the police chief, fire chief or or the sheriff about this site or any other site, I know them all and I do not appreciate them being referred to as liars or BS'ers or anything else other than their official titles. I've been a volunteer and seen what all of these people have to do. They put their life on the line every day. Maybe you don't agree with every decision that they make, no one does. However, give them a little respect and realize that tomorrow, it could be you that needs a police officer, sheriff, or fireman. As far as the mushroom comment goes...well, what has been kept in the dark? What secrets are being kept from the public? I see none. I think its kind of funny that some nay sayers in our community sit back and wait for progress to be made on something. As soon as someone steps up to the plate to do something, you refer to them as being dishonest and call them names. I think they need a new facility and it looks like we can both agree on that. The West Ward scool sit looks to be about the best site that is available where its by the city auditorium and there's not many neighbors around to complain about the sirens and stuff. Do you know of a better place to put it?

I can't believe that the City is saying YES to stimulus money. Look at what is happening to the entities that are taking government money. The money that they hand out today will be tomorrow's TOXIC ASSETS.

Make due with what you have, manage your money better and if it looks to good to be true...it probably is.

I still say that if the city waited till the old National Guard Armory is vacant, it would serve as a well placed facility for the city fire and police. Most of the city can be seen from that part of town. The extra money from this stimulus package would make it an excellent facility. The main structure is there, a very sturdy structure, and with some remodeling, it could be very nice.

On the other hand, let's forget about buildings that would serve the purpose and spend, spend, spend. You all know that taxes should be raised for all the pipe dreams that are thought of. Let's all leave those facilities vacant and build new.

I thought the city would want to conserve funds and stretch them out to benefit the entire city. Oops!! That would make too much sense.