JFPD optimistic on eve of referendum
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By TRAVIS MORSE
tmorse@morningsentinel.com
MOUNT VERNON — Jefferson Fire Protection District hosted its final open house for the public Saturday, just days before its major referendum question on a new fire station appears before voters on the Tuesday Primary Election ballot.
JFPD Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Clinton said Saturday that he was “pretty optimistic” heading into the election. Jefferson Fire has placed a referendum on the primary ballot, asking voters in JFPD’s District for permission to issue bonds to fund building a new firehouse. The total amount of the bond issuance being sought is $8.9 million. This would not only cover the cost of the construction but other expenses such as architect fees and more.
If the bond issuance goes forward, JFPD District members would see a “modest property tax increase” based on fair market value, Sentinel archives state.
“We’ve been out, we’ve done a lot of door knocking, we’ve almost covered our entire fire district,” Clinton said of the JFPD’s public information campaign on the referendum. “So we’ve had a lot of good positive feedback from people. You know, a lot of people understand where we’re at, the location, why we’re where we’re at, and they understand that we’re in an old building and the need that is there to update (our) facilities. Like we’ve said before, we just encourage everybody to get out and vote, exercise your right to vote, whether you’re in our fire district or not.”
Some people in Southern Illinois may think that their votes don’t matter, but that is definitely not the case with this referendum question, Clinton said.
“This is money that you’re going to see stay here within the community, that’s going to benefit our whole community,” Clinton said. “Whenever I say community, (I mean) our whole county. We all play with everybody as far as the fire departments are concerned. So this will be a benefit for us and the surrounding community and surrounding counties as well.”
In addition to knocking on doors throughout the fire district, JFPD has hosted several open houses leading up to the election to help educate the public on the need for a new fire station.
Among those attending Saturday’s final open house was Luke Jaudes and his family. Not only was the open house a chance to learn about Jefferson Fire’s needs, but Luke’s young son Jaxon also enjoyed seeing all the fire trucks up close, Luke said.
“My father-in-law said he knows a couple of the guys here so they just wanted him to come out and show my son, because he’s big into fire trucks and fire stations, so he just wanted to check it out,” Luke Jaudes said of his reasons for attending. “And we had heard about it, so we wanted to come out and support.”
New Station Needed
The planned new fire station would replace JFPD’s current Station #1 located at 1600 S. 10th St. in Mount Vernon. This is the agency’s primary fire station, housing roughly 12 apparatus. JFPD also has three other smaller stations in its district located in Ina, Dix, and Opdyke. The new Mount Vernon firehouse would be located at a nearby site at Ninth Street and Wescott Avenue.
Assuming voters approve the referendum Tuesday, construction could begin on the new fire station as soon as this upcoming summer. It would likely take about a year to build the new firehouse, Sentinel archives state.
The current Station #1 was built in 1945 by the Dare Motor Company as a car dealership. The Jefferson Fire Protection District moved into the building in the early 1960s, and has operated from that same facility for more than 60 years, states a JFPD Facebook post.
After many decades, the building shows significant wear, the post states. The roof leaks, water enters the engine bay, and the sewer line has ongoing issues. Also, the space is too small for safe and efficient operations. Not only does the limited space slow emergency response, but the current building provides no separation between gear storage, living quarters, and kitchen areas, which is a serious safety issue.
Positive Experience
In his remarks Saturday, Clinton thanked everyone who has come out to show their support to the JFPD during the public information campaign. Many people, he said, have sent the district well-wishes and positive words of encouragement.
“It’s always greatly appreciated, and that really helps us keep on going and going forward and looking towards the future,” Clinton said, adding that it’s been good getting out in the district and having meaningful conversations with the public. “We just want everybody to know, whatever way the vote swings, we’re still going to be here and we’re still going to be responding to calls as normal and be there for our community.”
