It seems Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini will finally get an answer to his questions about the state of the fire station in Beaver Lake.
At Tuesday's city council meeting, Vagnini was told that a report answering the questions is due next month.
He first raised the issue at the June 20 meeting of the city's audit committee. Vagnini tried to get auditor general Ron Foster to answer five questions about the state of the volunteer fire station in Beaver Lake.
The questions were based on the audit Foster's department did on the state of the city's long neglected fire stations, a mix of volunteer and full-time facilities.
The audit found that stations across the city, including Beaver Lake, are in need of significant upgrades for safety and other reasons. Some could be closed or relocated.
Vagnini, whose ward includes Beaver Lake, has been focused on preventing any station from being closed, and has tried to press staff on the urgency of repairs and upgrades at that station.
He arrived at the June 20 meeting with a letter from the Beaver Lake fire committee with five questions. The committee members were also in the audience.
"I was hoping Mr. Foster would take the opportunity to talk about the questions and some of the issues that were in there," Vagnini said at the time. “Would that be appropriate?”
Foster said he'd rather speak generally about the situation in fire services across the city, adding that issues raised in Beaver Lake are common to stations in other parts of the city.
"I'm mindful that, during the audit, the issues raised in this letter are common to at least three additional communities in three additional wards," he said. "I'm pleased with the level of engagement in the community, that they took the time and the effort to correspond.
"I can assure the residents of Beaver Lake that my office was very well aware of the issues that they're bringing to our attention. They are touching on important issues."
While he audited the department, Foster said it's fire official's area of expertise and they are in a better position to know what presents a operational risk. The next step is for fire chief Trevor Bain and his to prepare a report on how they propose to address the issues identified in the audit.
"Those reports, I'm assured, will address Beaver Lake questions as well as risks that are shared in other communities," Foster said. "If we were concerned there was a significant risk ... we would do a followup audit ... My job now is to stay out of the chief's way."
But Vagnini persisted, saying the issues raised in the letter should be relatively straightforward for Foster to answer.
"There are five direct questions," he said.
But Foster responded his role was to audit city departments, not speak for them.
"I'd be speaking out of turn if I was to respond this evening without speaking to the chief," he said. "And to be fair, perhaps a coordinated response with the chief would be more appropriate.
"But I will say that, in our audit, we looked at each of these specific areas, not just for Beaver Lake community ... If you would leave that to the chief and I, you'll get a more informed response."
When Vagnini pressed the issue further, committee chair Deb McIntosh told him that his questions would be answered in writing.
"The chair has ruled," McIntosh said, prompting Vagnini to walk out in frustration.
On Tuesday, Vagnini asked again when he would be getting his answers.
"It has been some time now," he said. "When would we be expecting this come forward?"
Foster told him a draft response was ready and it should be presented at meetings in August.
