Sugar Grove fire dept. want levy increase for more stations

In early August, the Sugar Grove Fire Protection District announced plans to build another fire station in unincorporated Denny Estates, just north of Denny Road and south of Interstate 88.

The district, which covers 34 square miles, much of it unincorporated, had already purchased the land.

The village plan commission and the village board had no objections, but those plans were put on hold.

"We were going to use impact fees for capital improvements," said Fire Chief Marty Kunkel. "But those fees are drying up."

The fire department, which wants to build two more stations, must now use property tax revenue.

On the Nov. 4 ballot, the fire department will ask voters to approve an increase in its tax rate of 14 cents per $100 of equalized assessed value. The current rate is 50 cents, which also is its limiting rate. For the owner of a home valued at $250,000, the increase would mean an additional $120 in property taxes.

The referendum question would probably not be on the ballot if Sugar Grove was still being courted by developers with the ardor of a teenage suitor.

But with the national housing crisis and new financial concerns, housing starts are down to a trickle and retailers are hesitant to build anywhere. No building means no impact fees from developers.

But Kunkel has a lot of concern about his district, even if it isn't growing at the rate it once was.

"We need to build another two fire stations in order to reduce response times," Kunkel explained. "The nationally recognized standard is 4 minutes for emergency medical calls and 6 minutes for fire calls. Right now, we have an 8- to 10-minute response time to Montgomery (the department covers a portion of the village of Montgomery) and 7 to 10 minutes to Prestbury."

The district's only fire station is at 25 S. Municipal Drive, near Route 30. Some of the 34 square miles that the district covers is farmland, but Kunkel is most concerned about the populated areas that are farthest from the station.

Through an agreement with the Oswego Fire Department, Sugar Grove has personnel, one ambulance and one fire engine at the Oswego fire station at Cannonball and Orchard roads in Montgomery. The Oswego department also covers a portion of Montgomery.

"But this is temporary," Kunkel said. "It just bides time until we find a location in Montgomery.

"Right now, the only way to pay for expansion is through tax revenue," Kunkel reasoned. "We don't see another choice. We need to reduce our response time. In our business, it can mean saving a life, or losing a life."