The plan for a second fire station in Scio Township comes from the needs to address response times and call volume, according to Scio Township Fire Chief Andrew Houde.
“Our southeast sections of the township have a high volume of calls and our longest response times,” Houde said. “This new station should improve response times to 40 percent plus of calls and provide redundancy for all township residents.”
The site for the second station is at 900 S. Wagner Road, just south of Liberty. Houde said this location was picked based on response times and call volume. The township is currently leasing it to Vestergaard Farms, who have cattle on it.
The township is now moving forward with the plan for construction. Houde said the fire department has received conditional use and site plan approvals from the planning commission. The plan is to construct a 15,760 square-foot fire station on the 9.5-acre site. The site will be accessed via two driveways from S. Wagner Road. Planner said a safety path is proposed along the property frontage connecting to the proposed safety path for the Crossroads development to the north and allowing for future connection to the south.
Planners said the site is found outside of the township’s sanitary sewer service area, therefore a septic system is proposed within the eastern portion of the site in front of the building. This system will be reviewed and approved by the Washtenaw County Health Department, planners said. Water service will be provided by existing water mains located along Wagner Road.
The next step is to seek detailed engineering approval from the Scio Township Board. Houde said they expect they will go before the board late this fall or by early winter. He anticipates a groundbreaking as soon as weather permits next spring with a 12-16 month completion time.
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