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Residents urge council to preserve College & Blair station, question sewer and underpass spending
Summary
Two residents spoke during public comment, urging the council to keep or restore the older College & Blair fire station and suggesting some recent capital spending (including a proposed underpass) should be redirected to sewers or emergency services.
Normal — Two public commenters at the Town of Normal council meeting on Feb. 2 urged officials to prioritize local fire coverage and sewer repairs over other capital projects.
Mickey Stapleton told the council the College and Blair station’s neighborhood "needs" the station and said their neighborhood sewers also need work. "It's not a want, but it's a need," Stapleton said, and later suggested some town spending "could have been used" for sewer replacement or to keep the older station open rather than on projects he described as wants, such as an underpass.
Jerry Klingner, who said he had been helped by Normal EMS when he suffered breathing trouble, urged council to drop the underpass idea and instead fund a fourth station and firefighter hires without raising taxes: "That money could would no doubt build the station and hire the firefighters that we need," Klingner said.
Councilmembers thanked the commenters; staff addressed station siting and capital-cost questions later in the meeting during a presentation on the impact of Station 2’s relocation.
