93.9 The Eagle – The News and Talk of Columbia, MO
Missouri’s third-largest fire department is hopeful that voters will approve Tuesday’s proposed $8-million no tax increase bond issue. Boone County Fire Protection District assistant chief Gale Blomenkamp says the district covers 492 square miles, including nine municipalities.
“Roughly from Deer Park road all the way north to the (Boone-Randolph) county line, east and west on the county lines (Boone-Callaway and Boone-Cooper), excluding the city of Columbia,” Blomenkamp says.
The Boone County Fire Protection District provides fire, rescue and emergency medical services to more than 50,000 citizens. Assistant chief Blomenkamp is hopeful about tomorrow’s bond issue.
“Yeah I mean I think we got great support in our community, we always have had. This is an opportunity with going to the voters every two years for them to have some say-so in how we’re operating, versus a large bond issue every ten or 20 years. This keeps them in the loop I think,” says Blomenkamp.
If approved, the bond issue will be used for three areas: $5-million to replace the 41-year-old fire station on South Route K, $2-million to purchase one new fire engine and two new fire tanker trucks and $1-million dollars for firefighting equipment. It would allow them to purchase new battery-powered vehicle extrication equipment for each fire engine.
Passage requires a four-sevenths majority, which is 57 percent.
