All meetings begin at 7 p.m. and are scheduled for Jan. 19 at the Hemlock Grange Hall, Feb. 9 at Carleton Church on Kingsbury Road and Feb. 23 at the Modern Woodmen Hall on Burlingham Road.
According to Courtney Sim, who is helping organize the meetings, invited guests to Tuesday’s meeting include local insurance representatives, Meigs County Auditor Mary Byer-Hill, Pomeroy Mayor John Musser, Pomeroy council members, Pomeroy Fire Department members, Bedford Township Trustees.
The continuous fire protection levy is to pay for maintenance/utilities on a proposed fire station which would be a substation of the Pomeroy Volunteer Fire Department with 100 percent of the construction paid with a federal grant. The three-mil levy, if passed, will generate approximately $45,963.36.
Many supporters of the levy say the rise in taxes will be offset by the decrease in premiums for homeowner’s insurance if a fire station is housed within the township. The meetings will give residents opportunities to compare numbers specific to their property and make a more informed decision about how to vote.
If built, the new fire station would be a substation of the Pomeroy Fire Department and house equipment from the department to service Bedford Township residents. The building and all the equipment would belong to the Village of Pomeroy though the building itself would sit on township property. The substation would be staffed by residents of Bedford Township who would be trained by and belong to the Pomeroy Fire Department.
The Pomeroy Fire Department was one of only 200 entities in the country which received a highly competitive federal grant to build a new fire station in Bedford Township. The station will be approximately 7,500 square feet and house one fire truck. The grant is for $811,750 and will pay for 100 percent of the construction costs.
A joint-committee is being formed of both Bedford residents/officials and Pomeroy residents/officials/members of the Pomeroy Fire Department to work out the details of placing the substation in the township. However, if the levy meant to maintain the station doesn’t pass, it remains to be seen if the substation will move forward.
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