More than 40 Brookhaven residents are asking the City Council to delay a decision on an agreement for a new DeKalb County fire station near Blackburn Park, giving officials another 60 days to examine alternative locations and designs. The council is scheduled to consider the intergovernmental agreement at its Oct. 13 meeting. The issue was postponed at the September meeting after residents raised concerns about the proposed site’s effect on parkland and neighboring homes. The county’s preferred site is a 1.35-acre parcel at 3493 Ashford Dunwoody Road, next to Jo’s Grill near Ashford Dunwoody and Johnson Ferry roads. DeKalb Fire Rescue says a new station there would improve coverage and response times in what it describes as the county’s second-fastest-growing area, where traffic congestion is significant. Officials put current travel time performance in the area at 12 minutes and 52 seconds. The proposed Brookhaven station, identified by the county as Station 34, is part of a broader plan to replace seven existing stations at a cost of $25.6 million and build 10 new stations for $38.7 million. City officials have also considered a site at the northwest corner of Blackburn Park across from the YMCA, two portions of the former Publix property, and land on Blackburn Park at Donaldson Drive owned by the DeKalb Housing Authority. Some residents favor the Donaldson Drive option. Council member Michael Diaz, whose district includes the proposed station, said a written comparison of the alternatives reinforced his view that the Ashford Dunwoody Road location is the best option. He said DeKalb Fire Rescue remains comfortable operating from the site, while access and congestion questions have been identified for technical review. The revised agreement also includes neighborhood protections discussed previously, he said. Diaz said the city held meetings with Cambridge Park and nearby residents, followed by a smaller working session with neighborhood representatives. The earlier postponement was intended to strengthen agreement provisions addressing lighting, noise, screening, trees, parking and neighborhood impacts, he said, and to let residents hear from fire and other professionals. Some residents say their concerns remain unresolved. Gail Davidson, who has lived in Cambridge Park for 47 years and lives directly across from the proposed site, said residents have not been assured that station design will shield nearby homes from sound and light, prevent traffic problems or establish that using parkland is the only option. Resident Rick Ferguson said a recent meeting did not resolve concerns about traffic backups when emergency vehicles are not responding. He argued that changes to traffic signals would not make up for about 60 feet of vehicle space that would be lost on both sides of the road in front of the station, and called for a traffic study before the city signs an agreement. Diaz said public safety and response times remain his primary concerns. He said the need for another station in the area has been identified for years and that the proposed location would give fire crews access in multiple directions. He also said the broader Ashford Dunwoody and Johnson Ferry traffic problem predates the station proposal and merits attention regardless of the final location. The agreement is listed as an action item under old business on the City Council’s Oct. 13 agenda. The council has not yet made a final decision.