Local petition drive opposes relocation of fire station

A fire truck is show outside LCFD Station 70. A plan to relocate that station to the corner of Federal Ave. and 100 East St. is opposed by some members of the Logan business community.

LOGAN – Proving once again that there’s never a dull moment in downtown Logan, controversy is now brewing over the proposed location of a new fire station.

At their regular meeting Tuesday, the Logan City Council will hold a public hearing to discuss committing $325,000 to the cost of designing a replacement for the Logan City Fire Department’s aging Station 70 in the downtown area.

But some local residents are already up-in-arms about the idea of siting the new fire station on the corner of 100 East St. and Federal Ave., where it would occupy a portion of an existing parking lot.

Opposition to that proposal is being led by Sarah Coulson, an employee at Leilani Salon & Spa at 146 North 100 East in Logan. She has launched an online petition drive that has already garnered more than 500 signatures and is using social media to push for a total of 1,000 supporters.

Coulson and other members of the Federal Avenue business community are upset because the proposed fire station will likely restrict the availability of parking for their customers.

This proposed site will deeply affect many local businesses,” Coulson explains.

Her Facebook page lists those impacted businesses in the Federal Avenue area and along 100 East as including Leilani Salon & Spa, Mama’s Kitchen, the ANEX (AKA the Ice Box), Café Ibis, Sunrise Cyclery, Le Nonne Restorante Italiano, Lucky Slice Pizza, the Antique Rose, Achievement Realty, Spirit Goat and others.

Coulson’s petition argues that the proposed location of the new fire station will be detrimental to the safety of pedestrians and cyclists on 100 East St. and to the ambiance of a historic district of the city. The petition also cites issues arising from increased traffic congestion, noise disturbances and reduced parking for annual events in the downtown area.

In an interview Monday, Coulson said that she and other business owners from the Federal Ave. area met with Logan Mayor Holly Daines recently. The mayor reportedly responded to their concerns by insisting that the parking lot at Federal Ave. and 100 East St. was the only available site for the new fire station. Coulson and her colleagues doubt that and plan to be out in force at the City Council meeting on Tuesday evening.

Some residents who have signed Colson’s petition have also posted supporting comments.

Holli Johnson urged Logan officials and city council members to “ … quit making it difficult for patrons to find parking because your city planner failed to do his job and plan for future developments and growth.”

David Jones suggested that the new fire station be located in the 300 block on North Main Street, replacing the now-vacant Army Surplus store building.

“That place is an eye sore,” he added.

LCFD Station 70 is now located at 76 East 200 North, just a short distance from the disputed Federal Avenue parking lot. That station was built in 1974 and is the oldest facility currently operated by the Logan Fire Department.

Logan City Fire Department (LCFD) provides fire protection to the cities of Logan, North Logan, Providence and River Heights, along with unincorporated areas of Cache County, including Logan Canyon.

LCFD responds from three neighborhood fire stations, each staffed with four personnel, and one additional station at Logan/Cache Airport, which is staffed as needed for commercial or charter flights.

Residents can view Coulson’s petition online at https://www.change.org/p/help-save-logan-s-downtown-parking-local-businesses

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2 Comments

  • Don May 18, 2021 at 8:27 am Reply

    How about they buy the old Herald Journal building and build the new fire station there? Then they could tear down the old fire station and provide either additional parking or develop it with more fun little businesses like the ones that currently occupy federal and church. I can understand not wanting to use prime main street real estate for a fire station, but the federal/church block is such a unique little spot that needs to be protected and expanded, not destroyed.

  • Keith Laursen May 18, 2021 at 7:18 pm Reply

    I agree with Don but we’re the old army surplus building is we already had two small fire stations fire stations beyond main Street in the beginning what’s wrong with it being on main Street now and yes they want to help downtown tear the old station down and make a bigger parking lot

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