Fire Station 24 opened this week near the Port of Long Beach. It is the first fire station built in Long Beach in over 20 years.

It is modern and most importantly has the needed sleeping quarters that provide privacy for male and female firefighters.

I wish it had been built to LEED specifications so that it would be as energy efficient and environmentally friendly as we are pushing private development to become. But it wasn’t. And we need to make sure future City buildings are.

While the new fire station is spectacular, most of the City’s existing stations are not. I wrote about this early in my Council career as I took a tour of our older stations. Equipment can’t be put inside some of the stations because of the fear the doors will jam if we have an earthquake. Facade is falling off another — so we have a chain link fence around it so no one gets hit on the head. Exhaust hoses have been gerry-rigged in most stations to take out the exhaust that is deadly to the health of the firefighters…we could go on and on.

I want to salute the Port for its financial contribution to the new station. But I have to tell you I was very disappointed when they handed me a card that said: “Redeem Your Gift from the Port of Long Beach.”

I excitedly sought out Port officials and asked if the “prize” was an increased transfer in port funds to help the City repair its infrastructure — streets, curbs, sidewalks, etc.

Nope. Just a first aid kit and a t-shirt — which I passed up. I am patient and will wait for the right prize to be given to the City.