It has been a long conversation, but work towards a new headquarters facility for Emporia Fire has borne fruit.
The official groundbreaking at 518 Market took place Wednesday afternoon. Fire Chief Brandon Beck tells KVOE News this is a big day for his department.
Beck says there are clear advantages to the new space when it comes to equipment.
In fact, there will be five apparatus bays with over 8,000 square feet of space just for equipment. There are also significant upgrades for personnel, including a three-zone setup for cleanup and decontamination, a dedicated training space, 10 private bunk spaces, dedicated lockers and new administrative space among other features.
City Manager Trey Cocking says this is an exciting project for the department and the city as a whole. He also says construction will get underway soon.
Cocking says the over $10 million project is also about $1 million under the original budget. Mayor Erren Harter says the project is in good hands with Tessere as the architect and Crossland Construction as the construction manager at risk for the work ahead.
While construction is starting soon on a new headquarters, upgrades are also needed at Fire Station 2 at 15th and Industrial. Beck says conversations will turn into formal evaluations soon, with the goal of either renovating that facility or discussing other possibilities.
Meanwhile, the city will begin exploring options for reusing the existing headquarters space as construction begins on the new building.
*Click here for KVOE’s YouTube channel, including a YouTube Short from the ceremony.
Photos by Chuck Samples/KVOE News
