T-L Photo/LENNY WITTENBROOK Belmont Fire Department member Ed Tacosik is shown addressing Village Council on Thursday, requesting permission to apply for a loan to purchase a property adjacent to the planned site for the village’s new fire station.

BELMONT — Fire department officials asked Village Council on Wednesday about the possibility of purchasing an additional lot in order to improve the build site for the community’s new firehouse.

Village resident and fire department member Ed Tacosik addressed council, asking for approval to apply for a no-interest loan through the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office in order to purchase a property adjacent to the planned construction site, noting that the project was not in jeopardy and would be moving forward regardless of council’s decision.

Tacosik explained that the possibility of moving the actual footprint of the station had been suggested by the project architect and civil engineer in recent discussions.

“If we picked up this lot and we were able to move the station a little farther east, it will decrease some of our costs of moving dirt on the lower part of that lot and put us on the crown of the hill,” he said.

Tacosik said he wasn’t sure if the money they would be able to save would equal what they spend on the property, but that he thought the move would be beneficial since the department might be able to add some items to the station plans that had been cut for cost savings. He added that the family they would be purchasing the property from had expressed dismay at the prospect of having the fire station so close to their home.

He went on to say that Belmont Fire Chief Bob Mills had been discussing the matter with the family and while a final price has not yet been set, the department would be looking to borrow around $160,000. He said the Belmont Firefighter’s Association would be able to make the payments on the loan until the village is finished paying for the new fire engine that was purchased last year.

Tacosik said that once the new fire engine is paid off, the Goshen Township service contract money that is currently going toward the engine could be used to finish paying off the loan well ahead of the 20-year term.

Village Fiscal Officer Ricky Burkhead asked if they could use some of the $3.2 million federal grant for firehouse construction to purchase the property, since doing so would save money on the building project itself. Tacosik answered that the department does not have that money yet, and fire Lt. Kaye Hall chimed in that the property purchase is not an eligible use of the grant.

Councilwoman Lorie Grob expressed concerns about getting the property appraised and properly valued prior to making the purchase. Village Solicitor T.J. Schultz said a proper appraisal would be required for any property purchase made by the village.

After some further discussion, Council President Derek Cain made a motion to grant permission to apply for the loan. The motion passed with Councilwomen Bev Yoe, Peggy Patterson and Grobb joining Cain with “yes” votes, while Councilmen John Rigoli and Zach Kalo abstained due to their membership in the fire department.