Several shouting matches ensued Tuesday night at a Bloomingburg Village council meeting, and the fire department will get a new building.
Members of the Bloomingburg-Paint-Marion Joint Townships Fire Department (BPM) presented requests to village council for approval to allow a new department to be built at the corners of Main and Bowers Streets. The problem, however, is that the department is seeking to build on a corner lot, build closer to the street than allowed by ordinances, and some council members feel that the proposed building’s location poses safety risks.
Councilman Donald Fleak voted no for the department being allowed to build and said that it wasn’t because he is against a new building. He said that the department is seeking to build closer to the road than allowed by village ordinances, and that they are asking to be allowed to exit on a side street, which poses safety risks, according to Fleak.
“Every time this thing [variances] has come before council, we have always discussed people and their properties and their setbacks, fences, everything that they do,” Fleak said. ” It has been up to council, they’ve always asked for people [neighbors to adjacent properties] to sign things [allowing the building]. Now, why all of a sudden, we’ve changed that by saying it doesn’t matter and we give them [the fire department] whatever they want; I don’t understand…now you want to back down and not make them [the fire department] follow the rules like we make every other person in this village.”
Councilwoman Carol Cramer disputed Fleak’s claims by saying that the village has chose not to ask adjacent property owners for their opinion many times for unrelated projects.
“You don’t agree that there have been other buildings right here in the village?” Cramer said.
Fleak fired back by saying, “yeah, your friend across the street from me. It’s who you pick and choose.”
A shouting match then erupted between Fleak and Cramer with Fleak saying that Cramer and the rest of council picks and chooses who must follow village ordinances.
The two quieted down after about thirty seconds of screaming.
Fleak said that his concern was the fire department exiting fire trucks onto Bowers Street.
It is an issue with high risks of houses, people, and vehicles being hit by the large trucks exiting on such a small street, he said.
“It’s not safe. My whole issue is exiting on side streets. I want everyone to know I don’t agree with it. It’s a safety issue and why council turns their head, I have no idea. It doesn’t matter what the public says, what they [the fire department] wants they get,” he said.
Fleak said that he would be calling the Sheriff the next time he sees a volunteer fireman running a village stop sign. He gave an instance where he allegedly witnessed a white truck speeding through an intersection. Before he could finish his thought, an unidentified fire department member stood up and started to lunge at Fleak, while shouting something to the affect that he was a liar.
Another person had to physically restrain the man from getting any closer to Fleak. Shortly thereafter, Fayette County Sheriff Captain Tony Rose — who was present during the meeting and sitting near the doorway — stood up and moved closer into the room.
Council clerk Carol Pontious said that if the village doesn’t allow the department to build, it would go through an appeals process through the Common Pleas Court.
Cramer suggested that a traffic study be completed to see if flashing traffic signals could be installed in front of the fire department alerting to motorists to exiting fire trucks.
Fleak said that a study could be done, but that he didn’t want just a study, he wanted in writing that a light would be installed.
He also brought up a concern about rain water flooding on the side street and that by allowing the department to build, the street would flood worse.
Councilman Harold Raypole told Fleak to “stay out of it.” The two then got into a shouting match and Mayor Gayle Brown started yelling, “listen, hey, hey, hey, no arguing, please” in attempt to gain order.
The two stopped speaking for about 20 seconds and then started shouting again.
Fleak told Raypole that “we would’ve been on top of this if it wasn’t for you” and Raypole responded back, “you know what, if it floods already…”
Cramer yelled, “hey” for the two to stop screaming at each other, and Mayor Brown was yelling, “hey, hey, enough, enough, please.”
Donald Fleak and Raypole quieted themselves and Councilman Gerry Fleak said that runoff water is 99% and evaporation was 1%.
Brown pushed for a motion to be made to approve or deny the new building, but Fleak had one last comment.
“I feel like this is what is going on in neighboring communities,” he said. “Ordinances and things that council is suppose to follow but they never do, now we’re doing the same thing they are. Nothing gets enforced, nothing follows through…no matter what the people say, it’s for us and who we want to do stuff for.”
Councilman Tim Bennett made a motion to allow the department to build with stipulations of installing a flashing traffic signal, horn alert system alerting motorists to exiting fire trucks, and keeping grass on the property to assist in water runoff.
Raypole seconded the motion and Councilwoman Dorinda Oates, Cramer, Bennett, and Raypole voted in favor. Donald Fleak and Gerry Fleak voted no.
“No safety. I want it to be in there [the minutes] that I voted no because of safety. I don’t want it coming back on me,” Donald Fleak said. His brother, Councilman Gerry Fleak, agreed and said, “I don’t care about the variances, I don’t want it to be a hazard to the people.”
BMP representative Larry Dean said the building will cost $700,000 with construction plans starting today.