Amidst all of the Budget Circus playing out this week at San Jose City Hall, fire station sare on the minds of a lot of WG neighbors. For those of you keeping score at home, the Station 6 Hose Wagon is likely to be discussed this afternoon at the Council’s 2:00 session.

In what amounts mostly to a procedural motion, the San Jose City Council will vote this Thursday morning** to place a question on the ballot regarding the proposed Fire Station #37, which could be built next to the Willows Senior Center.

The ballot measure is required in order to convert the designated — but unimproved — “park land” to a fire station. Following voter approval, SJFD will proceed with feasibility studies and response time assessments for the areas surrounding the proposed station and the existing Fire Station #6.

Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio supports putting the measure on the ballot, but so far insists that Station 6 should remain open under any future scenario:

I prefer to keep station 6 open at no ongoing labor cost by distributing the fire personnel between station 6 and station 37. (We will have small expenses for the extra station like utilities) To staff both stations fully would cost between 2.5 and 3 million every year.

There are currently 5 fire personnel at station 6 per shift. If station 37 were to open we would add 1 additional fire personnel per shift. I would suggest splitting the personnel between both stations for a few years and see how actual situations, traffic and response times workout. One station would focus more on the medical calls which are 80 percent of the calls in our area mostly because District 6 has the most people over the age of 70 that live by themselves in San Jose and many of them in Willow Glen.

The hyper-local Lincoln Court blog discusses the station’s potential impact on the Senior Center, and comes out against the new station:

The Willows Senior Center has been threatened in many ways before and has always pulled through due to the actions of its members. I’m not suggesting that what the San Jose City Council is doing next week is a threat to the center, but it’s worth considering. They plan to build a large fire station next door and close the current fire station #6 on Minnesota. The reasons they give are that it is needed to better protect the Cambrian Park area, AND they can get the park land virtually free!

Next week, … San Jose City Council plans to put it on the ballot. Once that happens it is expected to pass because no one outside this area cares. I agree with our District 6 Councilman about keeping #6 open, but he still wants to give away the park land. I suggest we insist that the city look for land to buy, and build a smaller station elsewhere.

** The City has recently changed the date for consideration by the Council. The ballot question will now be heard on Thursday morning, June 19, at 8:30 am.