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NEWTON FALLS --The Newton Falls Joint Fire District is looking to expand into a new facility that could possibly be built on school property off Milton Boulevard.
Fire Chief Doug Theobald recently approached the Newton Falls Board of Education about building a new station on school property close to the main road.
Currently the fire department is housed at two sites -- one at the municipal building off North Canal Street that includes bays for larger equipment and vehicles and a meeting room, and a second building off East Broad Street for smaller vehicles and personnel.
Theobald said neither site has the space for expansion. He noted some of the district's equipment has been stored at the Milton Fire Department.
"The current facilities can't handle all the apparatus. With a new facility, we would have a station for all the vehicles," he said noting one vehicle is a 140-foot ladder truck and another a 40-foot tanker.
The department is looking to build a 12,000- to 14,000-square foot building, he said, with four two-way drive-through bays. There would also be storage and dormitory areas.
Such a project would cost between $1.7 and $2 million, Theobald said, including a design phase and construction. Theobald said loans and grants would be sought.
In recent years, Theobald said staffing has increased to cover all shifts. Calls for fire, mutual aid and emergency medical service have reached 1,700 per year, and he said those figures are expected to increase.
Theobald said a preliminary study showed the school property would be the best central location for fire and EMS response. This site would provide easier access for the large vehicles because maneuvering is more challenging on residential side streets.
"This location would be a primary area to allow us to have quicker response and get to calls faster in all parts of the community," Theobald said. "This will not be a skyscraper in front of your schools."
Plans would call for an "aesthetically modern designed building" with trees and other landscaping to make the property more attractive.
Board member Brent Powell and Superintendent Paul Woodard said the board will review the request and meet with school officials to come up with a proposal on terms and requirements.
"The board is very interested in this opportunity," Powell said.
Woodard said the fire district could also look at school-owned property near the covered bridge, the site of the razed Arlington School. Presently that land is used for soccer fields.
Board member Jennifer Urbania said having the fire department and medical crews so close would also benefit schools in emergency situations.
Theobald, who said he would work with whatever the school officials agree to, pointed to enhanced service provided by the Bazetta and Bristol fire departments, which have recently moved into larger new facilities.
Newton Falls fire officials have looked at other locations, including a former grocery store property and suburban areas, but Theobald said these sites were not as ideal as the school property.
"We will not disrupt classes, but be good neighbors," he said.