Winnecke To Spend State Refund On Fire Station Repairs & Sidewalks

EVANSVILLE - Mayor Lloyd Winnecke announced Thursday the city received $2.9 Million from the state and plans to use some of it to make repairs to fire stations around the city; specifically station #14, which has been plagued by flooding problems.

Chad Buttry with fire station #14 explains, pointing to the wall near the floor of the station's TV room, "Water will actually pour underneath this wall. We've got water damage there." He continued, "You get the smell and the musty, mildew smell. It's just uncomfortable."

But things are turning around for this station which, under a previous administration, faced the possibility of closing down.

"The fire fighters of our city put their lives on the line every day," explained Winnecke during Thursday's news conference. "They spend about a third of their lives in these houses and we think they deserve the very best conditions possible. "

And for those who run in to the fire while others are running out, it's money that will help them do their jobs more effectively.

Buttry explains, of their bedroom, "This whole area will have a puddle of water in it. So, imagine, I'm sleeping here, I get up out of my bed, step in water, my feet are wet, then I run down the hall with wet feet, step in to your boots and you're on a fire for four hours."

He continued, "A steady rain, we'll get water that comes from this corner of the building in our bedroom and you can see where there's water damage there and it will flood out in to a quarter of the room and cover this part of the floor."

But that's not all. The mayor says $250,000 will go to roof repairs at six fire stations in the city. $1.7 Million will go in to a rainy day fund and $500,000 will go to sidewalk repairs.