Glide Rural Fire Protection District

GRFD APPROVED FOR USDA LOAN

dtilson — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 22:56:49 +0000

The Glide Rural Fire protection District has learned that it has been approved for a 4% USDA loan. This loan will be for the building of a new fire station if the bond measure is passed in May. The low interest rate on this loan will save the patrons over $20,000 a year in interest over the interest rate on the last proposed bond in 2008. For more information on the new fire station and the May bond election please attend one of the community meetings.

COMMUNITY MEETINGS SCHEDULED FOR BOND MEASURE

dtilson — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 22:28:44 +0000

Three community meetings have been scheduled to go over information about the new station and the bond election scheduled for May 18th. All meetings will be at the Fire Station from 6:30 – 7:30 pm. We hope to see all those interested in the future of Glide Rural Fire Protection District in attendance.

Tuesday April 20th

Thursday April 29th

Friday May 7th

Dan Tilson

2201@glidefire.org

FIRE BOARD AUTHORIZES NEW BOND MEASURE FOR FIRE STATION

dtilson — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:33:20 +0000

At the February meeting the Glide Rural Fire Protection District Board approved going out for a bond election at the May 2010 general election. The new measure will be 2.95 million, a reduction of $900,000 from the measure that was defeated in 2008. Most of the reduction is because of a redesign of the fire station that reduces the square footage from 16,000 sq ft to 13,000 sq ft. This will still meet current needs of the growing fire district. Other cost savings came as a result of a redesign of the roof and elimination of some masonry work on the outside of the building. Other significant savings were a result of the economy and a softening of prices for some materials and site work. It is estimated that the reduced bond levy will cost the taxpayers 0.68 / $1,000 of assessed valuation of their property. The district is planning community meetings to explain the bond in April and voters are encouraged to attend the meetings to become more informed. If you have questions please feel free to contact me, and I will be happy to discuss the needs of the fire district or answer any questions.

Dan Tilson

Fire Chief

2201@glidefire.org

Downsizing The New Fire Station

dtilson — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 05:11:49 +0000

After much discussion among the fire district officers and the Board of Directors it has been decided to look at what the district needs to continue our current level of service. The new station will provide for our current needs, however will not provide for much future growth. The new design eliminates two engine bays and some storage area along with office space and community rooms. The total reduction is over 3,000 square feet resulting in a new station of about 13,000 square feet. This results in an estimated savings to the district of over $575,000. With this reduction, along with lower building costs, it is our hope that we will be able to reduce the building costs to 2.95 million. A new floor plan is being prepared that will enable us to obtain a new concept bid. We will continue to look for and apply for grants to further reduce the costs to the taxpayer. We hope to have building costs and tax rate information by February so we can start to have community meetings to discuss the plan. If you have any questions please stop by or give us a call.

VOTERS SUGGESTIONS

dtilson — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 05:00:46 +0000

From reading the many suggestions and comments it was evident that we need to get more information out about the new building for the fire district and our current needs. Many people felt that the current building was OK and we should just remodel. This was also the first option that we looked at almost 10 years ago. At that time the cost was close to 1.0 million to add bays and a training room. It did not include many of the features of the new station including sleeping quarters, storage or enough office space. It also did not include room for future growth. It was decided at that time that it was not in the best interest of the district to remodel and out of date building that already had been added onto four times. Since that time we have not revisited this idea, however we still feel that a newer building that will serve the district into the future is in the best interest of the district patrons.

RESULTS OF SURVEY

dtilson — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 04:57:53 +0000

After the defeat of our bond levy last November we conducted a mail survey asking voters several questions about the bond levy and the future of the fire district. We sent out questionnaires to every household in the district and received a little over 20% response. Of those that responded 74% thought that we needed a new station and 96% wanted us to continue the same service that we currently provide. When asked if they have ever needed the services of the fire department 38% said yes. Of those that returned their postcards 49% said that they would support the original 3.85 million levy, however 59% would support a lower levy of 3.5 million. 73% did not want a higher per thousand rate and 62% felt that we should not put plans on hold. As for why people voted the way they did we had a wide variety of answers, however most centered around the bad economy and higher taxes. Many people felt that the building we were asking for was too large and wanted to see us downsize, or leave parts unfinished.

TAX RATE REDUCED

dtilson — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 04:54:44 +0000

The Glide Fire District finished paying for the $275,000 bond that was passed by voters in 1999. This bond was used to purchase a new 2000 Pierce fire engine. During the repayment period the fire district refunded more than $10,000 in funds that were not needed for the purchase of the fire engine, resulting in a lower tax rate for district patrons. In making the final payment on these bonds district patrons should see their combined tax rate reduced by almost $0.16 per thousand of assessed value.