GOSHEN, Ohio — The future of Goshen Fire Station 18 is starting to get clearer.
The fire station took a direct hit during an EF-2 tornado on July 6, 2022. More than a year later, the doors remain shuttered, forcing firefighters to work out of other locations.
Township trustees heard two options for the future of the fire station at a special meeting on Tuesday: a proposal to repair the existing facility and one to rebuild it entirely.
“We don't want to build a Taj Mahal, but at the same time, we need to build a nice-looking facility that supports the needs of our citizens,” said Goshen Fire Chief Edward Myers.
RELATED | One year later: Goshen Township still rebuilding after tornado's significant damage
One consideration is that the fire station was already in need of repairs before the storm hit. Those repairs would have cost around $891,685.
“We were having issues with sewer backups, with water pressure,” Myers said. “We had several water main breaks in front of the station, and it wasn't designed for the size of the trucks that we have today.”
The estimated out-of-pocket cost to Goshen to repair the station now is not far off from that figure. It would cost the township around $898,393, after insurance funding, according to data provided by Myers.
“This might be a great opportunity for Goshen Township to take advantage of a tragedy and do something great and have a great new facility that we knew we needed on July 5 anyway, but we didn't have any way to pay for it,” said Steve Pegram, former fire chief and former township administrator.
If Goshen were to build a new fire station from scratch, the township would have estimated out-of-pocket costs of around $1 million, according to Myers’ data, after other funding sources were applied.
Trustee Chair Bob Hausermann and Myers said the township would be able to fill that gap with money in the budget, so taxpayers wouldn’t have to foot the bill.
“That's our goal is to get out of this with zero tax dollars out-of-pocket locally,” Myers said.
There is also a possibility that the township could fill the $1 million gap with funding from the state. State legislators are currently debating a bill that would allocate $2.5 million to Goshen to rebuild the fire department building.
The bill has been assigned to a committee and might have its first public hearing next week, according to a staff member in the office of State Rep. Jean Schmidt.
Hausermann and Myers both supported rebuilding the station from scratch.
“Tonight was the first meeting that we've actually come together with some good information,” Hausermann said. “The facts were there. It can be done. It can be done easily.”
Trustees did not reach a final decision but could vote as early as next week. The board next meets on Tuesday, Sept. 26.
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