BY Kelsie Miller
Staff Reporter
The Kittitas Valley Fire and Rescue (KVFR) bond to build a new fire station passed in a special election.
The thank you signs that have gone up around campus are from the Kittitas Valley Fire and Rescue. KVFR will be building a new fire station using funding from the fire station bond that was passed in a special election last Tuesday, after a long campaign by KVFR and Fire Chief John Sinclair.
“The citizens in an overwhelming vote approved the $6.7 million general obligation bond measure,” Sinclair said. “They voted to tax themselves up to 20 cents per thousand so that we could build a new fire station.”
The fire station bond proposal started at $12 million. After negotiation, Sinclair said, the community accepted $6.7 million to build a bare bones fire station off of Mountain View Avenue that will cover 21,500 square feet and will continue to serve the community for 100 more years.
The new location on Mountain View will help KVFR respond better to the 278 square miles that they are responsible for, said Sinclair. It will also have more room for equipment and training while still providing access to the city of Ellensburg and the Central community.
The bond will not impact students very much financially. Twenty cents per thousand equals $60 of tax per year for a $300,000 home, Sinclair said. This cost, if passed on from landlords to students, should not be more than a couple of dollars per month.
“The impact for students will be a more effective and more efficient [fire] department,” Sinclair said.
The fire station bond was opposed by Middle School First, a group of local citizens who, independently of the Ellensburg School Board, were opposed to the fire station bond, who have stated that the first priority for bonds should continue to be replacing Morgan Middle School.
James Pappas, professor of advanced programs at Central, is a former member of the strategic facilities planning committee for the Morgan Middle School bond, which was voted down in 2013. The committee, appointed by the Ellensburg School Board, determined the cost and location for Morgan Middle School before the bond was presented.
Pappas said that he would not choose between a replacement for Morgan Middle School or KVFR, because they are equally important things for the community to support. Pappas specified that he is not involved in the Middle School First group.
“The education of kids is a top priority, no doubt,” Pappas said. “I also don’t want my house to burn down because I don’t have an up-to-date fire station.”
Pappas stressed that students at Central should be involved in community initiatives and be active, educated voters.
“When the [Morgan Middle] school bond is officially established and the vote comes around, I would hope that university students who can vote in the community would support it,” said Pappas.
Sinclair, a graduate of Central’s paramedic program, said that KVFR reached out to the entire community for feedback regarding the bond. Sinclair said they have been transparent throughout the process but didn’t receive much feedback from students at Central.
The Center for Leadership and Community Engagement (CLCE) educates Central students on the importance of being civically engaged, no matter where they are registered to vote.
Rachel Mahnke, sophomore business major and program leader for the CLCE, said that students should vote on all issues, not just local elections such as the special election for the fire station bond.
Personally, Sinclair said, he doesn’t expect Central students to be “renaissance people” and be involved in every community effort while trying to excel in school, but if there is a need, students should speak up.
“If we’re not meeting their needs, they need to let us know,” Sinclair said. “But if we’re meeting their needs, and they don’t want to be involved in the day to day activities of the community, I get that.”
Mahnke said that it is important to vote based on the facts and to do research, rather than to vote on what is popular or on the opinions and rumors of other students.
