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Session State Capitol, Room 418 Juneau, AK 99801-1182 Phone: (907) 465-4939 Fax: (907) 465-2418 Send E-Mail Interim 716 W 4th Avenue Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: (907) 269-0244 Fax: (907) 269-0248 |
Juneau -- Late last month, the Executive Committee of the Sand Lake Community Council met to discuss the proposed relocation of the Sand Lake Fire Station. Presently the Sand Lake Fire Station is located near Jewel Lake Road and 84th Avenue. This centrally located fire station has honorably served the Sand Lake area since 1968.
In 1998, voters approved a Public Safety Bond package that included $4 million for design and replacement of the Sand Lake Fire Station. The 30-year-old fire station was originally intended to be a temporary facility and desperately needs to be rebuilt.
In spite of the condition of the Sand Lake Fire Station, the men and women serving the station rank #1 in "out of hospital saves" which means they have the highest success rate in saving heart attack victims in our city. This represents not only the hard work and dedication of the firefighters at the Sand Lake Station, but also the central location of the facility.
A preliminary site selection has already been completed. Of the eight potential sites considered, five would move the fire station out of the center of the Sand Lake community to the edge of the service zone. These five locations are along Dimond Boulevard and Victor Road.
In my meeting with the Executive Committee of the Sand Lake Community Council on this matter, significant concerns were raised about the ability of the fire department to respond to emergencies throughout their service area if the station is relocated outside of the core of the service area. I share these concerns and co-authored a letter to Mayor Mystrom with other legislators from the Sand Lake area. The letter requests the site selection process include public hearings so the community can better understand the site selection process and what it may mean for fire and emergency service in our community.
I encourage our neighbors to become involved in the Sand Lake Community Council and the site selection process. The Community Council meets at Sand Lake Elementary School at 7:00 pm on the second Wednesday of every month.
This is only one of the many issues that I am working on in Juneau. If anyone has concerns about this or other matters, I can be reached by telephone at 1-800-465-4939, by fax at 1-907-465-2418, by e-mail at Representative_Andrew_Halcro@legis.state.ak.us, or by mail at State Capitol Building, Room 418, Juneau, Alaska 99801.