Council did the right thing for Fire Station No. 2

By Staff
September 8, 2002
By a 4-to-1 vote, the Meridian City Council has acted in the best interests of city residents by approving immediate funding to repair deplorable conditions at Fire Station No. 2. The up to $20,000 approved last week will help fix a leaky roof, mold and mildew problems and other things at a station that virtually everyone agrees should eventually be replaced.
Some have argued that spending the money on such a temporary, stop-gap project is unwise. We think it is essential, and we hope the actual work is done as quickly as possible because the physical condition of Fire Station No. 2 is a disgrace to the professionalism of the members of the Meridian Fire Department.
The enticing prospect of building a new station in a different location has been dangled before Meridian residents for years. Clearly, this is not time to delay planning for a new station; to the contrary, it is time to accelerate architectural and engineering planning and to get serious about where the new station should be located.
Sometimes, governmental leaders just have to face reality and fix what's broken, even while they continue to plan for the long term. Four members of the council Mary Perry, Barbara Henson, George Thomas and Jesse Palmer have done this, and we applaud their action.
Their willingness to spend the money to fix the worst conditions at Fire Station No. 2 is a very positive step. Now, the council needs to keep the pressure on the appropriate people in city government to complete that work and move ahead on building a new station that can better serve this community.