Peninsula moves ahead on third fire station

Jan. 9--MAPLETON -- Plans for Peninsula Township Fire Department's third station are moving closer to reality.

Township trustees recently approved a special land use permit to build the station, township Supervisor Rob Manigold said. It's set for land on Center Road between Swaney and Tompkins roads the township bought from the Switzer Family Trust for $42,300, as previously reported -- Manigold said the township is waiting for a clear title to the land.

Plans have changed slightly from a pole barn with room for one full-time firefighter to one with living quarters for up to two, fire Chief Fred Gilstorff said. That came out of input from residents as the department considered how to boost service to an underserved area.

"Obviously that area up there is quite a ways away from our Number One station at this time, and we have very, very long response times to that area, upwards of 12 to 15 minutes in some areas," he said. "We basically want to shorten that, and the best way to shorten it is to potentially staff it down the road."

Engineering firm Gourdie-Fraser is overseeing the project and could be ready to seek bids as soon as late March, Gilstorff said.

Manigold said they'll have a better idea of how much the station will cost then. He wants pay for the new station with money telecoms companies pay to the township to lease space on a tower the local government owns -- the township used the same money to buy the land.

Other townships have neighboring departments a quick drive away -- maps show Grand Traverse Metro Fire Department's Station 12 is 5.9 miles away from Long Lake Township Fire Rescue, for example. But Old Mission Peninsula's geography puts it in a different situation, being 16 miles long and surrounded by water on three sides.

Manigold said that poses a challenge, as mutual aid can only come from the southern end of the township.

That impacts the Insurance Services Office ratings for homes at the peninsula's north end, because they're more than a five-mile drive from the closest fire station, Gilstorff said. Building a new station would change that.

"So it's a total win for our department as far as our ability to deliver service, and obviously it's a benefit to the residents because they get quicker service from the fire department and, plus, the potential to save money on home insurance," he said.

Construction on the new station should start this summer, and the station should be up and running by year's end, Gilstorff said. His department is still looking at different staffing schemes, and the plan for now is to keep the department's brush fire truck there. It's been modified to respond to any fire, he added.

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