The neighborhoods around Homewood have been growing in size and population for a few years. With this growth there comes more emergencies, and the need for a new fire station. In early 2021 proposals for the location of a new fire station began.  At first a location was proposed for East Cedar Lane Park. That location was met with a lot of criticism from the closely surrounding community because of its proximity to houses and sacrifice of park space. The counterproposal from the county was to locate the fire station on the empty plot of land next to Homewood. 

When the proposal came in May 2021 members of the HCPSS board of education requested analysis to be done in relation to the environmental, traffic, and education disruption. A site selection study was conducted and gave proposals and information about pros and cons of locating a fire station near the central office property. At the end of the proposal a timeline was listed, the timeline showed planning would continue until the permits were issued in spring and summer of 2023. 

Along with site analysis there are a lot of positive and negative impacts on our school and educational environment. One of the largest issues with the fire station would be increased noise from equipment, radios, and sirens. However the fire station could also offer training and community engagement opportunities for staff, students, and the surrounding community. 

In summary the proposed North Columbia Fire Station is in the process of being approved by HCPSS to be built on the property adjacent to Homewood. There are many different changes that could be a result of the construction of a new fire station, some positive and some negative. Since the project is still in the approval phase feel free to contact the Howard County Board of Education or County Executive’s Office.