Breaking News Part I

As we promised last week we believe that we have found out the reason for the purchase of the Greenbank Fire House and you are not going to like it.

We have now heard from multiple sources a strange thing about the Original Greenbank Fire House and why they have moved to the new one for so long.

It seems that the original Greenbank Fire House was leased for 50 years with a reversion clause that said that if it is every used for anything but a fire house that the land reverts back to the owner in 30 days.

This may explain when the fire house has not be expanded to include some of the highly desirable amenities of the Durbin facility like a meeting hall.  It has to be used as a fire house and when it ceases to function as such the BFD loses the property and the building.

One correspondent outlined on Facebook the many other functions that a new building could provide but it has not been widespread public knowledge that the original building is on thin ice regarding its function.

No reason has been given as to why this deal was done several years ago.  Perhaps you will hear about it in the promised explosive, exposed in the Times this week.  (I hope that they are printing extra copies.)

But the story expands:

Why was property not obtained across the street from the current site?  Surely NRAO would have given them land without such a Faustian clause!  It would have been to NRAO's advantage to have a fire house "on site"  Perhaps even saving money and saving the folks of Greenbank and BFD from the hard task of raising funds.

The current site is a beautiful site  with plenty of room for expansion.  In fact, all of the purposed things listed on FB would have been done on that site. (if allowed by the clause)  Greenbank would have had a firehouse with accommodations for lots of things.  Perhaps this would have happened if more Greenbank citizens would have been asked for their opinion.

Then think of the waste of money (public dollars) which will be wasted by the BFD it if gives the land and building back to the original owner.  Not only is it an extremely modern building but it has a concrete entrance.  (I am hoping that someone has contacted the owner for a change if the clause.)  Shouldn't this have been considered as a first option?????

But no, the wealthy BFD dropped $187,000 on the Sheets Property--which they cannot house their expensive fire trucks in because the doors are too low.  This building won't even meet fire code itself. What fire department would buy a building to house fire engines only in the parking lot--and lose a completely functioning fire house closer to the NRAO.  (We wonder how NRAO feels about the move away from their facility.)  Maybe they should have been consulted first!!!

Come to think of it, wonder if all the members were consulted on this move!!!  Surely, no one at NRAO would be so ingenuous as think that somehow this move would expedite service time by the fire department.

Where's the outrage on the part of the citizens of Arbovale that ambulance and fire response is the be extended through Greenbank.  Millions of dollars of assets will have been put into jeopardy by this move?