Public asks board about maintenance responsibility for fire station on school land; staff to investigate deed and partnership options

A representative of the Bonnie Croft Volunteer Fire Department told the White County Board of Education at its March 20 meeting that the fire station on school property dates to 1978 and that modern apparatus and vehicles no longer comfortably fit the building.

Public commenter Shannon Smith said earlier-generation deeds and informal arrangements leave the department without clear legal authority to renovate the barn-like station while it remains recorded on the school district’s asset register. Smith asked whether the district could deed or otherwise clarify property responsibilities so the fire department could upgrade doors and add higher bays for modern trucks.

Board and staff members said they had not previously located a lease or deed that permanently transferred responsibility and that the matter should be reviewed administratively. The chair asked district staff to coordinate with the county executive and the fire department to perform a risk and ownership review and to identify options such as deeding the parcel to the volunteer department or establishing a formal agreement for maintenance and capital improvements.

Why it matters: Fire-station readiness influences emergency response times and capability; unclear property ownership complicates maintenance and capital planning.

What’s next: The board directed staff to investigate property records, consult county officials and return with options; no formal vote was taken at the meeting.