 FROM THE
MAYOR... “Traditional Values, Progressive Thinking”
I am proud of the fact that while our City continues to grow and prosper, we have managed to retain our small town feel. The City Council and I have always been, and continue to be, committed to retaining our small town feel by managing our growth in a responsible manner.
I regularly hear from residents who say that the small town feel is one of the reasons why they chose to reside in our City. You may be wondering what defines small town feel. Everyone has their own definition, but I believe that small town feel means taking the time to say you care. As you may know, we had a high school student hit by a car a few weeks ago. The student’s father told me that our community had touched him in so many ways after the accident, offering support and well wishes for his son. He also told me that this caring is the very reason he chose to live in O’Fallon; because we care!! Perhaps the small town feeling means you are family. To me, small town feel is 100 mentors volunteering in our elementary schools, young families playing on
new playground equipment in our parks, Homecoming and Mayfest parades viewed by thousands of children, followed by the greatest marching band in the United States, the OTHS Marching Panthers.
Small town feel also means that our residents feel safe in the community, especially when partaking of activities outside the home in the evening hours. It also means that there are abundant recreational opportunities for families such as parks, walking/biking trails, and recreational programs as well as opportunities for the community to come together for special events and programs. In addition, small town feel means excellent schools and excellent fire protection services with quick response times and community fire prevention programs.
We have an exceptional fire department comprised of 39 volunteer firefighters who are, without a doubt, very committed to their volunteer service. Their average response time to most areas of the City is four minutes. The Fire Department currently houses their equipment and departs for fire calls from two stations in O’Fallon. One is located on East Washington Street near downtown, and the other is located on West Highway 50.
While our Volunteer Fire Department currently provides excellent service to our community, the City Council and I felt it was very important for us to plan ahead for our future. Given the growth we have experienced and the future growth that is expected to occur, we contracted with McGrath Consulting to examine our current fire operations as well as recommend strategies for future operations. McGrath looked very closely at our growth patterns and possible locations for a third fire station. One of the proposed sites is on Kyle Road across from Fulton Jr. High. Since most of our growth is occurring to the northwest of downtown, a fire station at this location would be in a great position to service those new areas as well as our current areas to the north. The images below
depict artist renderings of what the facility could look like as well as how it would appear on the proposed site.
Pictured left to right: Mayor Graham,
Police Chief John Betten,
Ward 7 Alderman John West,
Fire Chief Brent Saunders,
and Ward 7 Alderman Jerry Albrecht
The McGrath study is not yet complete, but it is anticipated that the study will recommend some operational changes as well as the recommendation that within five years we should transition from a completely volunteer department to a full-time paid fire chief and some part-time paid on-call firefighters. These paid positions would be supplemented by a cadre of volunteers. Once the study is complete, the final results and recommendations will be shared with you.
It is an honor to serve as your Mayor, and I appreciate being given the opportunity to work for the residents of O’Fallon. I am willing to meet one-on-one with anyone who has a concern about any issues related to our city. I welcome your suggestions and comments and encourage you to contact me at 624-4500. It is through your input and dialog on important issues that we will make O’Fallon an even better place to live and work.
Gary L. Graham
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