Here’s why the county should build a 2nd Riverview firehouse

There has been a lot of misinformation and partial truths regarding Riverview Fire Departments proposed station 2 in the western, unincorporated portion of Fort Mill and a proposal from The City of Tega Cay to cover that same area for compensation. There are some very serious flaws with the Tega Cay proposal that have been overlooked by just looking at the dollars. The City of Tega Cay has been very vocal about their proposal which has led to the dissemination of misinformation for the betterment of the coffers of the city at the potential expense of the tax payers of York County as a whole.

The service area in question is in the Riverview Rural Tax District and residents of the district pay a special tax for fire protection. This area includes Youngblood, Vineyard, McKee, and Bessbrook Roads, and some smaller streets off of those roads. This has never been a growth issue but, came about approximately 5 years ago when the Insurance Services Office (ISO) modified their formulas for calculating distance from a fire station. Homes in that area went from an ISO 5 to an ISO 9, and in many cases homeowners were denied coverage. Riverview responded to the ISO change with the construction of a temporary “station” on leased land off of Highway 160 just west of Zoar Road as a stopgap measure until a permanent solution (i.e. construction of a permanent station) to serve that area could be built. The land for the new station at 141 Grant Farm Road was purchased by Riverview and York County nearly 3 years ago. Construction of station 2 is currently pending York County Council releasing Purchasing and Engineering to proceed with the bidding and letting of the work.

Riverview first learned of Tega Cay’s proposal during the August 15, 2016 County Council meeting. Unfortunately, no prior communication occurred between Riverview, Tega Cay, or York County to vet the proposal. Riverview has communicated to the County Manager and County Council our concerns with the proposal. Those concerns are:

First, the $1.5 million for the substation will come from Riverview Rural Tax District funds to build a fixed asset that will serve the citizens of the tax district and York County for many decades to come. The funds for the station have been budgeted and set aside. The City of Tega Cay’s request for $840K will have to come from the county’s General Funds which will either raise taxes or require cuts in the County Budget. The Tega Cay Proposal is limited to 7 years of wages for 3 firefighters that will not only respond to the area in question but to all of Tega Cay calls for service. Without the Riverview station the County and more specifically the citizens of Riverview’s Rural Tax District are at Tega Cay’s mercy to provide the required fire protection. The City of Tega Cay’s offer to provide protection for a fee is at its very best another stopgap measure and not a solution.

Second, Insurance Services Office (ISO) uses a threshold of 5 road miles to determine Fire Protection Classification, and dwellings outside a 5 mile distance are rated a 10 (the highest classification) and residents in those areas may be denied coverage. The current Tega Cay station is 8.3 road miles from the furthest point served by Riverview. Even with the proposed cut-through they will still be 7.1 road miles away. The proposed Tega Cay Station 2 will be 6.6 road miles; Riverview Station 2 will be 5 road miles. Riverview Station 2 does what neither of Tega Cay’s stations can, and is the only sustainable solution to service that unique area.

Third, the protection area in question does not have a municipal water supply and has no fire hydrants available. Water for fire suppression efforts will need to be trucked in with tankers, which Riverview is equipped to do.

Fourth, should the county agree to Tega Cay’s proposal, it would set precedent where every other municipal department in the county will be asking for funding to cover unincorporated areas that they may serve. Similarly the county would also set a precedent with the other 16 county departments seeking county funding for manpower, Riverview included.

Finally, the Riverview Rural Tax District will seek reimbursement for the fair market value of the land purchased as well as the design fees, soil engineering, survey, plan review fees and related costs expended to date to get the substation to the shovel ready state it has been in since late 2015.

Given the growth along the Highway 160 and Gold Hill Road corridors the area warrants both the second Tega Cay Station and Riverview’s station. A true fire emergency will require much more than 3 men, be it “professional” or “volunteers”.

It is also worth mentioning that as this matter drags on through County Council – Riverview is spending $500/month on rent plus utility costs for a temporary station. Construction costs have escalated rapidly increasing our construction budget from 1.2 million to 1.5 million, and pushed our proposed construction timeline back a year. If council can cut through the red tape for the Fort Mill Green Box site replacement, surely they can do the same for a fire station that protects lives and property.

This story was originally published November 3, 2016 at 12:24 PM with the headline "Here’s why the county should build a 2nd Riverview firehouse."