A new city survey showed nearly 75% of respondents said Gearhart is in need of a new firehouse and that 65% prefer the project downtown.

Mayor Kerry Smith delivered the city’s third firehouse survey in three years earlier this month. The survey was taken from nearly 300 respondents between July 20 and Oct. 1.

The survey, distributed through water bills, showed that respondents said their decision to vote against a $14.5 million bond measure in May for a new firehouse at Highlands Lane was based on the location and cost.

The quest for a new firehouse in Gearhart stretches decades.

A 2006 campaign collapsed at the polls when voters objected to a new firehouse — along with a City Hall — at the current site on Pacific Way.

More than a decade later, a firehouse committee zeroed in on Gearhart Park at Pacific Way and North Marion, but dropped the idea after a 2019 survey showed little support for the location. The firehouse committee’s second choice, known as High Point, was preferred by more than half of the survey respondents.

Threats of litigation at the High Point location and a reluctant seller were among the reasons Gearhart looked at new sites.

When plans for High Point bogged down, city staff turned to an alternative site along Highlands Lane.

Officials signed a land transfer agreement with developers of The Cottages at Gearhart LLC, a 34-acre development. The property offered elevation to withstand most tsunamis and better emergency access.

Prior to the May vote, a 2021 survey showed support for the Highlands Lane site. In that survey, about 65% said they agreed with the city’s plan to build a new firehouse on the newly proposed site located on the Cottages at Gearhart dune.

After the defeat of the bond measure, Mayor Paulina Cockrum resigned. The City Council selected Smith as her replacement.

The firehouse project has been an issue in the November election.

Position 3 candidate Preston Devereaux wants to see the fire station rebuilt where it is.

City Councilor Brent Warren, who supported the May bond measure, said the city is back to square one and must start a new public site selection.

Position 1 candidate Anne Mesch echoes Devereaux. City Councilor Dana Gould said the city has an obligation to consider building at the Pacific Way site, but will have to determine if it is viable and adaptable to changes in the next 60 years.