‘It’s frustrating:’ Goshen firehouse damaged by 2022 tornado remains in disrepair

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - Thursday marks one year since an EF2 tornado touched down in Goshen, destroying nearly 300 structures, including the station 18 firehouse.

Many of those buildings have since been rebuilt, but the firehouse still stands partially demolished.

Officials don’t know whether they will repair or rebuild the firehouse, but they say they want to keep it there.

The station currently has a temporary home in a trailer next to a service garage a few blocks away.

“And it’s frustrating,” Bob Rose, Goshen Township administrator and chief of police, said Wednesday. “It’s frustrating for our residents. It’s frustrating focus.”

Fire Chief Edward Myers is planning the project. He says he is navigating multiple issues including insurance, engineering, funding sources and code officials.

Myers says the township is trying to get an objective third party to review building codes to determine whether the building, which was built in the ‘80s, can be salvaged.

“If we can’t, we may have to rebuild the building,” Myers said.

Township officials say the relocation of fire crews to their temporary trailer in a service garage has not impacted their response times.

“We try to make every accommodation we can to, one, reduce response times to the citizens, but also keep the morale of the organization,” Myers said.

Officials say the draft state budget included $2.5 million for the station but that it was cut before the final budget was adopted. Rose says officials still have faith in Columbus to come through.

“We’re confident that in the end, between our insurance and our lawmakers, you know, our elected officials, we’re confident that at the end, we’re going to be in a much better place, and at no cost to our residents,” Rose said.

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