Old Engine 9 to be sold to African American firefighters

Photo from CFDHistory.com

Cincinnati City Council unanimously approved a motion by Councilmember Laketa Cole to sell the old Engine 9 firehouse to the Cincinnati African American Firefighters Association (CAFA) for $1.

CAFA has expressed interest in turning the facility at 4017 Reading Road (BIRD'S EYE) into a meeting facility for their members and a safe house for neighborhood children, complete with a learning center where students can obtain homework help.

A new, LEED-certified Engine 9 was dedicated in February.

In a letter to council requesting the sale, CAFA president Harold Wright says that Engine 9 is the most significant firehouse to their organization, with many members having been directly involved in its daily operations.

"And most importantly the symbolic remembrance of our fallen brother and CAFA member Oscar Armstrong III who gave the ultimate sacrifice to save the lives of others," Wright says.

In October, CAFA will host a regional conference of African American firefighter chapters, and Wright believes that obtaining the old Engine 9 firehouse would help put a positive stamp on the event.

"This would send a powerful message that the organization and the City of Cincinnati worked towards a common goal, to help CAFA purchase its first building," he says.

Renovations to the building, which was built in 1929, would be paid for by federal grants.

Ordinances and documents required to move forward with the sale are due before council by the end of May.

Previous reading on BC:
Cole wants Engine 9 sold to African American firefighters (3/6/08)
Cincinnati's first LEED-certified public building opens today (2/27/08)