A public meeting about a new fire station coming to west Lawrence did not yet alleviate all neighbors’ concerns about the addition, but project partners said they have plans to address them.
Fire Station 6 is slated for 555 Stoneridge Drive — next to the water tower at Sixth Street and Stoneridge — after the location got approval from the Lawrence city and Douglas County commissions.
Nick Simon, Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical captain, said the department’s standard is to arrive at emergencies within four minutes.
“Our response times are huge to us,” Simon said. “Quite honestly, if we can get a fire station in one of those service gap areas – which, here in northwest Lawrence there at 555 Stoneridge, that is definitely an identified service gap – we’re able to meet those benchmark times on a more regular basis.”
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In addition to Simon and several other LDCFM personnel and project partners, around 20 people attended a listening session Monday evening at the Indoor Aquatic Center. Folks were welcome to ask questions and provide feedback on design concepts.
Common concerns neighbors shared included disturbances from lights and sirens, visual blockage by the building, and increased traffic.
Lawrence city commissioners have said the city will likely need to increase the property tax rate in the future to pay for the station’s construction and the ongoing costs for it to operate.
The estimated cost to construct the station is almost $13 million, which would be split with the city paying approximately $8.3 million and the county paying about $4.7 million.
Debbie Filkins, who lives in the neighborhood, said the listening session provided a bit of clarity but didn’t explain details about how the structure will actually be situated. Drainage in that area is a major concern, but the project team did not yet have answers Monday about stormwater management.
“Here’s the city spending all this money on designs, and it’s just going to keep tripling and tripling,” Filkins said.
Filkins and her neighbor, Karen Warner, had waited until around midnight to voice their concerns at the Dec. 16 city commission meeting. They said they felt the city hadn’t thoroughly informed the neighborhood of the development and that they weren’t aware until after local news reported on it.
Another resident in the neighborhood, Linda Smith, said she and her husband don’t mind the new neighbor moving in. She said the location makes sense because the city already owned the vacant, grassy plot, and that it’ll serve a helpful purpose.
“We lived in Johnson County for over 20 years, and you sometimes hear the same old objections,” Smith said. “Drainage is one, increased traffic is another one, the NIMBY (‘Not In My Backyard’). Maybe I’m too old to get excited. It all seems very familiar.”
Kansas City-based firm SFS Architecture is leading the building design.
Lindsay Tatro, SFS Architecture senior project manager, said the loudest equipment and activities will be built on the south end of the site, furthest from the homes to the north. Landscaping will be added to the side facing houses, where quieter work will be done, she said.
Tatro said the team will soon conduct a detailed survey to understand the topography of the site and explore the makeup of the soil to design the structure’s foundation. Testing how the soil infiltrates water will aid stormwater infrastructure design. Then LDCFM will help inform the exterior character.
“We try to be very intentional about making sure that we have a good understanding of all of their needs and can make the best plan for the building space needs, but also be respectful of taxpayer money,” Tatro said. “So, we are not building in excess.”
The station will fill almost 13,000 square feet and include space for 10 private bunks, four gender-neutral restrooms with showers, a training room, a kitchen and dining room and more.
Jeremy Knoll, director of sustainability at BNIM, said a top priority is to ensure firefighters aren’t subject to toxic environments spending long hours inside the building. BNIM is ensuring the project obtains LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.
Simon is one of around 10 various LDCFM personnel on a planning committee to share what they need with the city and its project partners.
Fire Station 5 had recently opened when the 18-year LDCFM veteran began his career at the department in 2008, but this is his first time witnessing the building process from scratch.
“We want to be good neighbors,” Simon said.
A rough timeline includes completed design completion in 2026 and construction in 2027-28.
McKenzi Ezell, LDCFM chief of staff, told attendees that the department plans to host open houses of all their existing stations this spring.
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Maya Hodison (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at mhodison@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
Nathan Kramer (he/him), a multimedia student journalist for The Lawrence Times since August 2024, is a senior at Free State High School. He is also a news photo editor for Free State’s student publication, where he works as a videographer, photographer and motion designer. See more of his work for the Times here.
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