Citizens raise concerns over closing fire house

SAUBURN -- Citizens raised concerns Thursday while city officials made their case once again over the recent closure of one of the city's three fire houses.

During a special public hearing authorized by city council at its weekly meeting, three Auburn Fire Department advocates questioned the motives and legality behind Tuesday's decision to close the fire house on Frederick Street. But Fire Chief Mike Hammon and City Manager Mark Palesh reiterated that vacating the station will save the city money while improving department services.

The station was built as a bomb shelter in the 1950s and maintained to protect the city's watershed, Hammon said. Closing the fire house followed a recommendation from a comprehensive study of the city's fire department conducted in 2003, he added.