Burn notice: Council approves Fire training in park

By Jeremy Lazarus

The Richmond Fire Department won its fight to replace 2 acres of lawn at the Hickory Hill Community Center in South Side with a concrete pad and a fire training facility where recruits can get experience dousing blazes.

Flouting its own policy goal of expanding green space, particularly in underserved Black and Latino areas, City Council ended the battle Monday night with an 8-0 vote to overturn the Planning Commission’s rejection of the proposal.

The vote was a triumph for 8th District Councilwoman Reva M. Trammell, who backed the Fire Department over a coalition of civic associations who objected to the department’s takeover of space where local youths play soccer and where volunteers from a nonprofit had begun planting trees and designing a community garden.

First District Councilman Andreas D. Addison, a Planning Commission member who led the commission majority that rejected the Fire Department’s proposal, kept mum when the issue was considered and did not respond during the roll call vote.

Fire Chief Melvin Carter told the council that a new facility was needed to replace the crumbling, outdated facility in Eastern Henrico that no longer can pass inspection. His department secured a $500,000 grant to help cover the cost of developing the training facility. The funding needs to be used within two years. The facility will be three stories tall and be made from stacked shipping containers. Chief Carter said Hickory Hill was chosen after an extensive search for a location for the training center. Along with the training

Ms. Trammell Fire Chief Carter Mayor Stoney facility, he said the department is using the space inside the center for classroom and other training needs in cooperation with Parks and Recreation.

At this time, the department is training its largest class of 71 recruits, with about half training at Hickory Hill, he said.

The decision was a bitter pill for nearby