Multimedia Reporting (Utsler)

During the summer of 2006, Lawrence maintenance crews fixed a notorious dip in the road at the intersection of Second and Locust streets in North Lawrence. The city rerouted traffic around the site, causing a bottleneck that stretched back to the bridge over the Kansas River. Commuters driving past the construction site may have noticed a lone fire engine parked next to a former grocery store while the city completed the repairs to the street. In order to ensure a quick response to emergencies, that one fire engine remained north of the river for the duration of the roadwork.

"That was at the request of the North Lawrence Improvement Association. The city doesn't do that on its own," said Mike Boyle, head of the neighborhood activist group dedicated to fostering the interests of residents and businesses north of the river. "I've been president of the NLIA for 11 years, and we've been asking for a fire station over here since before I was president."

Despite being isolated by the Kansas River, no fire or emergency services are based in North Lawrence. The likelihood of a new fire station being built north of the river seemed to depend upon who was asked.

"It's not cost effective," said Rich Barr, fire marshal for the Lawrence Douglas County Fire Medical. "The city can not justify moving a station over there and keeping one downtown."

Barr said that moving the downtown station, officially known as station number one, would put the downtown area at a greater risk of conflagration, because a fire could impact numerous structures built tightly together.

Fire stations number one on 746 Kentucky Street and number six on 225 Maine Street are the closest of five stations to North Lawrence. Water rescue boats for both the Kansas River and Clinton Lake are located at station number three on 3708 West Sixth Street. In the event of delay on the bridges to North Lawrence, emergency vehicles would be forced to use Interstate 70.

However, there discussions that the downtown station could be moved if the city commission decided to expand the existing Lawrence Public Library rather than moving it to an alternative site. Both buildings presently share the same block downtown.

While Ted Boyle hopes that a new library displaces the old fire station, Rich Barr said the Lawrence Douglas County Fire Medical would prefer another alternative. "We don't want to relocate the station," said Barr. "The new plans for the library include reincorporating a new station into the exiting building.

However, Ted Boyle is confident, based on his discussions with the city commission. "It looks like we will probably get a fire station within the next maybe three to five years, especially with them talking about a new library, if they choose to do it," said Ted Boyle. "We'll probably get a fire station before we get a grocery store."

Meanwhile, Boyle will prepare for next year when a major reconstruction of the intersection of North Second and Locust streets will hinder traffic through the area for months. Commuters will undoubted see another lone fire engine parked somewhere near by.