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TOLEDO -- Members of Toledo City Council informed North Toledo residents on Monday that they will not be losing their neighborhood Fire Station No. 3.

Concerned neighbors gathered to hear the news at the Friendly Center on North Superior Street. After recently falling into disrepair, city council weighed its options to either build a new station at Jamie Farr Park, or front the cost to repair the station. Neighborhood volunteers campaigned to save the station from demolition. 

"It's a core piece of the neighborhood that adds stability," said Pat Cannon, a pastor in the neighborhood. "Our neighbors respect the firemen, in a huge way." 

City Council listened, voting 11-0 on Monday to construct a new station at a different location, and to fix Station No. 3.  

"The neighborhood organized and they stood together with one voice," said City Council President Joe McNamara. "Government listened and we came together with a plan that's going to fix the fire station and build a new one."

The site of the new Fire Station No. 12 will be built at Suder Avenue and Summit Street, replacing basketball courts at Blair Park. The new station and the improvements to Fire Station No. 3 are expected to cost around $4.5 million. McNamara said he anticipates the Capital Improvement Program can be used to fund the projects.

"We're saving money in terms of fixing the old building," added McNamara. The No. 12 station is also expected to cost less than the $3.5 million originally estimated to replace the No. 3 station due to a different building design.