Resident urges mayor, council to pursue new Fire Station 23 and suggests eminent domain

John Francis, a Ward 11 resident, asked Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and City Council on May 8, 2025, to push for construction of a new fire station at West Boulevard and Madison Avenue, saying Fire Station 23 has potential health problems and urging the use of eminent domain if needed.

Francis told the council he understood the mayor and some council members were aware of “health concerns potentially connected with the building known as Fire Station 23,” and he asked whether the mayor had visited the station or spoken with the station’s fire chief or union president. He said the July 2024 death of firefighter Sean Calvi from occupational cancer should prompt urgent action.

“The time is now for you to seal the deal for the Kudell neighborhood, the firefighters of Fire Station 23, and the memory of fallen firefighter Sean Calvi,” Francis said, urging the city to consider eminent domain to ensure a new station is built at West Boulevard and Madison Avenue. He framed the request as a long-term investment in neighborhood safety and first-responder protection.

Council did not take formal action on the request during the meeting. The item appeared during the public-comment portion of the agenda; no staff report, motion, or vote on the matter was recorded in the meeting transcript.

Because the speaker raised potential health concerns but no board action or staff briefing on building conditions was included in the transcript, the council’s next steps and any timetable for inspection, replacement, or use of eminent domain were not specified.