Council members Eric Evans, J. William Reynolds, Karen Dolan, and Council President Robert Donchez will support conversion of the Dewberry Avenue firehouse into an EMS station when a vote is taken on the issue at Thursday’s final budget meeting.

Each stressed the gravity of the decision to convert a firehouse, but explained that adapting Dewberry Avenue is more efficient than building a new facility. T

A new EMS station would cost $1.6 million, while the cost of renovating Dewberry comes in at $463,000. “Saving money is not easy. It’s about making tough decisions,” Council member Reynolds said at the meeting. “We have a chance here to save $1 million. We don’t get a lot of opportunities to do that.”

Licia Paulus, who lives near the firehouse and is married to a firefighter, said she doesn’t think council should sacrifice public safety for money. “You’re talking about a $1 million savings, but how many lives are you putting at risk?” she asked. “The people of Bethlehem deserve fire safety.”

Reynolds said that when viewed through a business lens, it “doesn’t make sense financially to let that building sit.” As council member Evans pointed out when he began the discussion, council’s options are to pay $1.6 million for a new facility or to use an existing one and direct the savings elsewhere.

Council member Evans pointed out that it wasn’t just the $1 million, but annual savings on things like energy that make renovating the current firehouse the better option. He said he would like to put the money saved back into public safety.

Council member Evans also responded to reports that the city wrongly spent money allocated for a new EMS facility, saying that the administration spent the money so it could afford its payroll, not fund another project.

In addition to the savings argument, council argued that it was the city’s decision to close the station and, likewise, the city’s decision whether to staff it. If Council denies funding for the renovation, that does not mean the firehouse will reopen—it simply means it will remain vacant.