STEUBENVILLE — City Fire Chief Carlo Capaldi says the $150,000 City Council budgeted for improvements at the downtown fire station in 2025 is not going to fix everything that needs to be done, but it’s a start.

Capaldi said Friday he’ll be able to get a new roof on the building “with a little left over to start whatever projects we need to.” He said that’s likely to be doing some needed upgrades to a bathroom in the upstairs living quarters.

“The roof is probably the most important part of a building,” Capaldi said. “If your roof’s not secure and solid, then you really can’t do anything inside. It’s important to get it done first because it protects everything you’re doing inside.”

He said it’s especially important with a fire station because crews “eat, sleep and live there, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You have to make it livable, too.”

While he’d hoped for more up front, he said they plan to budget more in coming years.

“They’re going to spread funding out during the next couple of years to make some improvements,” he added.

“This is just going to get the (fire stations) we have buttoned up,” Capaldi added. “We still need a new station going forward. But the problem is, if you don’t maintain the ones you have, you won’t have them, either.”

He said the headquarters station downtown, located at 417 North Street, is their No. 1 priority now.

“We’ve had issues with it the past couple of years,” he added. “I’ve been here 33 years, and I don’t think it’s been done. You can’t do anything inside until you get the roof buttoned up.”

Whatever money is left after the roof is done will be applied to the bathroom upgrade, but down the road Capaldi said they need to be thinking about changes to the sleeping quarters so they can accommodate female recruits. Eventually, he said city officials will have to consider building a new fire station.

“I said I probably need a million dollars to fix our buildings and (they said) they can’t give you all of it this year,” Capaldi said. “But they gave us $150,000 (to start with.)”