Stanton secures $1M grant for Ahwatukee fire station

By AFN News Staff/Ahwatukee Foothills News

Phoenix got a welcome assist with the help of U.S. Rep Greg Stanton in the form of $1 million to help with construction of the new Fire Station 74 in western Ahwatukee.

As a result of a deal hatched a year ago by Mayor Kate Gallego and former city Councilman Sal DiCiccio with City Manager Jeff Barton, he city already has appropriated the money to not only include the station’s construction on city-owned land on the northwest corner of 19th Avenue and Chandler Boulevard in the current capital budget but also provide $3 million in the 2023-24 General Fund budget – and $3 million annually after that – to cover operational costs.

The firefighters and paramedics who will staff that station already are being trained so that the station will be fully operational when it opens sometime next year.

It’s opening can’t come a minute too soon, according to testimony at a city council subcommittee hearing in February, when Executive Assistant Fire Chief Scott Walker explained how his department tries to “balance out” fire and emergency medical services in the city, especially to try and meet standards for response times.

“We really do unfortunately have to use a high-risk, low-frequency model” in balancing out those services, he said.

“I can assure you in Ahwatukee with Station 74 because the response times around that western end of South Mountain there were 15-16 minutes,” he said. “That was such a priority for response times. While not high-call volume, the risk was so great we needed that station and we’re able to get support for that station.”

Stanton concurred with that assessment in announcing the grant for the fire station along with a $959,752 for Phoenix’s water service lines to “help the city identify lead and galvanized lines in the water system for replacement to comply with the Lead and Copper Rule Revision.”

He said the fire station is need for Phoenix “to meet the rapidly growing demand for fire and emergency response in the community.

“Due to the increased demand and population growth, the fire department emergency response times currently exceed the National Fire Protection Association response standards in this area,” he said.

In announcing a number of other grants for East Valley cities – including over $1.6 million to add 100 affordable living units in Tempe – Stanton said, “Each of these projects came directly from the community, and will improve the quality of life for Arizonans by investing in water infrastructure, building affordable housing, supporting public safety and strengthening our local economy.”

Gallego agreed, noting the money will fund projects “that will benefit our city for decades to come.”

“The Ahwatukee community has long-awaited a new fire station, and thanks to additional support from Congress, we’ll be able to provide excellent emergency services to keep our growing community safe,” the mayor continued.

“We will also use newly allocated funding to conduct an important assessment of Phoenix water pipes to address public health concerns, prevent wasteful water leaks, and continue delivering clean water to our residents. I’m grateful to have an advocate in Congressman Stanton, who intimately understands our city’s needs and works tirelessly to meet them in Washington.”

Stanton also announced $1,382,000 for Valley Metro to purchase accessible micro transit vehicles to serve areas not served or are underserved by traditional transit options, and $500,000 to purchase five electric busses, as well as the associated infrastructure “to help transition to a zero-emission bus fleet – helping improve the region’s air quality.”

Valley Metro CEO Jessica Mefford-Miller. “We want to give our residents mobility choice and a healthy quality of life, and these dollars are crucial to doing so.”

He also obtained $700,000 for Junior Achievement of Arizona to help renovate their BizTown Facility in Tempe, allowing for the continued delivery of career and financial literacy education to low-income elementary and middle school students.

“ Thanks to this award, Junior Achievement of Arizona will be able to renovate our JA BizTown facility where 25,000 students annually learn critical work readiness and financial literacy skills,” said Katherine Cecala, president of Junior Achievement of Arizona. “It’s this type of investment that allows us to stay on top of what matters most - preparing today’s generation for future success in work and life.”

Permalink: https://stanton.house.gov/2024/3/1-7m-in-fed-earmarks-go-to-mesa-water-projects

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