NCCAD Seeking Property For New Bourbon Location

The North Crawford County Ambulance District is seeking property for a new location in Bourbon six months after shutting down its garage on Old Springfield Road.

NCCAD Chief Jeremy Stetina and NCCAD board member Mike Delashmit told the Bourbon City Council on Aug. 20 that the district is committed to being here.

“We’re looking to establish our place again,” Stetina said. “We’re going to stay in Bourbon.”

The garage closed in mid-April upon the discovery of black mold. It has remain shuttered and the district has been operating out of the Bourbon Fire Protection District since late April.

Stetina and Delashmit told the council the board is keeping its options whether that means finding a new property or rebuilding at the current location.

Mayor Dave Lafferty asked if the board was interested in a lot at the city’s industrial park.

Stetina said that was a possibility.

Ward 2 Alderwoman Mary Heywood asked why NCCAD can’t just stay housed in the Bourbon fire station.

Stetina said it wasn’t an ideal situation long-term. BFPD also has been allowing the ambulance district to use its station rent-free, which Stetina said is ending soon.

Stetina told the council the current lot has issues of its own. Part of the property doesn’t even belong to NCCAD. Some of it actually lays on property owned by Ward 1 Alderwoman Margie Brine. Another section lays on property owned by Bourbon RV. 

“It’s a decent lot,” Stetina said, adding that they are working with engineers on a design. One problem with the lot is a creek down the middle of the lot.

Another problem could be the lack of space to pull in to the garage rather than back in reverse. 

“Our board will not approve a building that does not have an option to pull forward,” Delashmit said. He added that 85 percent of accidents are caused by backing up.

The plan is to construct a building that is 1,600 square feet, not much larger than the current building, Stetina said. 

The district says rebuilding that building would cost more than constructing a new one.

In addition to black mold, the building is not up to code, has water leaks and airflow issues. Stetina said the HVAC system pulls air in from the outside, including the garage where the ambulance is parked. Exhaust fumes flow through the living quarters.

Delashmit said it is important to find a new location.

“Our ambulance crew is headed to a different level than the past,” he said. “They are getting the best training they’ve ever received and our board is committed to being here, but our crew are living in offices.”

The building was shut down just two weeks after voters narrowly rejected a $4 million bond issue from NCCAD.

Stetina admitted that the timing looked suspicious, but has insisted that even if it had passed, the decision would have been made to shut the building down.

NCCAD is taking the bond issue back to the voters this November.

Voters will be asked to approve a new debt service levy that needs a supermajority — 57.14 percent — to pass.

The measure gained majority support last April, but fell short by four points.

The district needed 48 votes to gain approval.