GRAND HAVEN TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The Grand Haven Township Fire and Rescue Department wants to improve its facility so it’s asking voters to approve a more than $12 million bond proposal.
The fire department has been working on this proposal for the last two to three years.
The goal is to build a new fire station to handle the next 40 years of growth.
Current employees say the building they have now, which was built in 1994, is falling apart.
Back then, the department responded to only about 300 calls a year— now, that number has grown to about 1,500.
“The conditions of the current fire station are extremely cramped. We also are struggling with some health and safety issues with the fire station as far as air handling. As you know, cancer is now the number one killer of firefighters nationwide and I think it’s going to become an epidemic,” Chief Shawn Schrader told FOX 17 Tuesday. “We need to get ahead of this to keep not only ourselves safe but that we’re not spreading it to our families and the community as far as the carcinogens in our gear.”
The bond proposal is worth $12.6 million.
It would be paid over 20 years and would increase taxes for businesses and homeowners.
“We’re gonna have more space to do community events and to support the community and other things. We also want to design it so we can get out the door faster to serve our community when they’re in need. That is the first and foremost,” Chief Schrader added. “As far as benefiting our firefighters, it’s going to provide them a safe environment to do their work. It’s going to provide better training, infrastructure so we can train together as a department. It’s going to provide that healthy environment where the contaminants from our gear aren’t just floating in the air or going all over through our station and then it’s also going to provide some living quarters to where they’re separated so both genders can have their own space.”
The official proposal, as listed on the Ottawa County ballot, is below:
“Shall the Charter Township of Grand Haven issue its general obligation unlimited tax bonds in one or more series in an amount not to exceed Twelve Million Three Hundred Sixty Thousand Dollars ($12,360,000) for the purpose of paying the cost of acquiring, constructing, furnishing, equipping and financing a new Township Fire/Rescue Facility in the Township?
“The bonds will be outstanding a maximum of 20 years, exclusive of refunding. It is estimated that it will be necessary to levy 0.90 mill ($0.90 per $1,000 of taxable value) to pay debt service on the bonds in the first year of the levy, and to levy an estimated average of 0.77 mill ($0.77 per $1,000 of taxable value) each subsequent year for debt service, until the bonds are retired.
“The tax revenue received by the Township as a result of the unlimited tax pledge will be disbursed to the Charter Township of Grand Haven to repay the proposed bonds.”
The election is Tuesday, May 2.