St. Cloud asks voters to approve $43.5 million for new fire station
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St. Cloud voters will decide whether to approve a new fire station for the city’s growing south side.
If approved, the city would issue $43.5 million in bonds to build a sixth fire station.
Fire Chief Matthew Love said the new station will add firefighters and equipment to a growing part of the city, which includes St. Cloud Tech High School and new housing developments.
The goal is to have the first fire engine respond to a 911 call within four minutes, and the rest of the force within eight to 12 minutes, he said. The department isn’t currently meeting that goal in all parts of the city.
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“All the data kind of shows you can get your bang for your buck, if you will, by putting a station in that location,” he said. “It can hit the most areas that are not receiving that response time.”
The new station would improve response times to fires and medical emergencies throughout the city, not just on the south side, Love said.
“We’re trying to gear up to be able to handle not just multiple calls at the same time, but multiple complex calls — like multiple fires at the same time,” he said.
The St. Cloud Fire Department has seen a 32 percent increase in emergency calls in the last four years. Love says he expects the number of calls to exceed 10,000 this year.
If voters approve the ballot question, the owner of an average home in St. Cloud — valued at $234,900 — would pay $9 a month over the next 20 years.
The $43.5 million in bonds would cover the construction of the station, plus trucks, equipment and a firefighting training facility.
Construction of the new station would begin in 2026.