In our July 15th, 2018 edition we published an article about the state of the Central Fire Station in Lawrence. Our intention was to call the attention of our authorities about the conditions of the building taking some pictures where a group of our best spend most of their time, including sleeping and eating.
We entered the building the same way we enter City Hall, without permission, because as citizens, City Hall IS our house because we paid for it as well as the fire stations. If we want to enter the offices of the officials, respectfully, we will knock on their doors and ask for permission.
We make this clarification because after visiting the main floor at the Central Fire Station and taking some pictures, we wanted to do the same at the living quarters upstairs.
Upon contacting Chief Brian Moriarty, he reacted angrily. “You didn’t call for my permission when you took pictures of the first floor, now you have to call the Mayor.”
Honestly, the least we wanted to do was irritate Chief Moriarty. We thought we were doing him a favor, calling the Mayor’s attention for the conditions our firefighters are living since, perhaps, he is afraid to demand better working/living conditions for his men. We hope he will accept our apology.
We also noticed during our visit to the Central Fire Station the floor conditions. Evidently, the weight of the equipment is taking a toll on it because they have opted by putting jacks in the basement which has caused additional breakage. Adding concrete to cover the holes will add a couple of inches to the floor, making it impossible to house the height of the brand new $1.3 million fire truck. Perhaps we are wrong; we will like to hear from the experts.
Speaking of the brand new $1.3 million truck, forget about fixing the floor. Forget about a brand new fire station in the works. The problem is not the building so desperately needed, the problem is the truck! Yes, the truck is not only too big for the station, any station in Lawrence, but too big for the city!
The brand new $1.3 million truck won’t fit throughout many streets in Lawrence. Recently, the truck had to stay two blocks away from a fire since the stabilizers could not be extended for the lack of room in the street where it was needed. Most streets are narrow and cars are parked on both sides making it impossible to navigate through. It already has some nicks and scratches for which we have been told that Chief Moriarty is upset blaming the drivers.
And finally, who recommended and approved the purchase of this fire truck at a cost of $1.3 million without considering the narrow streets of Lawrence?
